Redefining Friendship
by BackupLover
Summary: What if Caitlin had cheated on Logan with Troy while he was seeing Veronica? What if the experience bonded Neptune High's most unlikely pairing into a revenge competition? AU of season 1. Eventually LoVe. Rated T for language.
1. Skills of Life

**Redefining Friendship**

**AU:**Lilly died and Veronica is still hated at Neptune High. Everything is the same at school except Veronica is dating Troy and Logan is still dating Caitlin Ford- she didn't cheat on him. Takes place the week after Weapons of Mass Destruction's bomb threat/framing. Veronica and Logan have not kissed, but she did help him with his Mom's suicide- they're sort-of friends; but they both snark to keep up appearances, plus its better that way. Classes may have different characters in them than originally. Don't laugh about the 'Life Skills' title- my high school actually renamed Home Ec. The mysteries are going to come in whatever order I feel like making them.

Chapter 1:Skills of Life

_Veronica walks into the Journalism room She is a little out of breath, as she is late. Everyone is just sitting in the room, talking to one another._

"Sorry I'm late, I… Wallace, where's Ms Stafford?" Veronica asks, looking around confused.

Wallace shrugs "Don't know V, she's not here. Where have _you_ been Superfly?"

"I had to wrap up things with Mandy- she says thanks by the way for finding her precious Chester," she answers taking a breath to tell him more about the shelter.

_Van Clemmons walks into the classroom. It is the day after Veronica's article showing Ben's frame-up of Norris was printed, and Veronica had already been told that Norris was released._

"Students, in light of the most recent… _article_ in the Navigator, Ms Stafford has decided that her services would be better appreciated at Pan High." Van Clemmons says while glancing at Veronica. She smirks at the 'article,' but sits up straight when she hears that her teacher is gone.

"While we in the administration are finding a new Journalism teacher, you all will be taking Life Skills with Ms. Vankley. Please head to her room after I leave. You will treat her with the same respect that you do to any other teacher… I mean it Mr. Casablancas." He continued, looking pointedly at Dick on the other side of the room.

"Why are you telling me… dude, 'Life Skills'? Isn't that just a new name for Home Ec? I don't need to know how to cook- delivery, hello?" Dick responds.

"Hey V, think you and I could just get an A for your snickerdoodles? Those things would make Jon Stewart love Crossfire." Wallace whispers to Veronica, breaking her out of her thoughts.

"I'm not sure Wallace; do I want to show everyone my recipe for the crackdoodles? If they all know my secret, will you still be my friend?" she replied, as she glanced to the corner. Logan's head was on the desk next to a computer where Caitlin was seen IMing furiously.

_The view pans back to Van Clemmons, who turns his back on Dick and speaks to the class again._

"You all will follow me to the Life Skills rooms now. Will you wake up Mr. Echolls Ms. Mars? Thank you and bring your things everyone."

_The rest of the class gets up and follows Clemmons out. Veronica sighs and walks over to Logan and shakes his shoulder with a roll of her eyes. Caitlin sits next to him and glares._

"Get your hands off my boyfriend Veronica Mars, he doesn't need herpes."

"Well Caitlin, I'm sure he's built up some sort of immunity to most STDs or he'd have dropped dead while dating you for a month." Veronica snaps, she's never been a fan of Caitlin but since she and Logan started dating the girl had acted even more like a princess. "You should get to class, cooking is kind of a requirement for a trophy wife."

_Caitlin stomps off after blinking at Veronica while trying to think of a comeback._

"Was there a reason you came over here, other than to molest me Mars?" Logan asks, smirking.

"Yeah, originally it was to tell you Mr. C wants us to go learn how to be good housewives- but getting into a snit with your girlfriend was an added bonus." Veronica states, shifting her weight to one leg and tapping a foot "Come on, I've already been late once today."

"Well if you stopped sleeping around, you wouldn't need to worry about being late." Logan says while gathering his things.

"Oh, pregnancy jokes! How far you've come from the backstabbing whore rumors of yore." Veronica says wistfully.

"Never think you're not worth my creative time Ronnie, I always make sure something new comes to mind." Logan chuckles while slinging his backpack over a shoulder and motioning towards the door.

Veronica laughs, "I have to admit, creativity is never something you've lacked. Nice job with the car-through-the-flagpole job, by the way…"

_The two walk out of the room joking with each other. Next they enter the Life Skills classroom, which has four separate kitchenette stations set up. Most of the other students have gotten their groups already. Dick, Caitlin and Casey in one kitchen and look bored. The teacher, a brunette woman wearing an apron looked at the two and sighed._

"Mr. Echolls, I have been told expressly that you are not allowed to be in a group with Mr. Casablancas. Mr. Fennel, would you mind if he joined you and Ms. Mars in your group?"

"Doesn't look like I have a choice Mrs. Vankley. It's cool, as long as he doesn't talk or whip out a tire iron." Wallace says, looking meaningfully at Logan; who hold his hands up and smirks.

Mrs. Vankley looks confused for a second, but moves past the odd comment. "Thank you, I guess. Veronica, nice to see you again. Let's get started." The teacher smiled and moves to the center of the room.

"Welcome to your interim class, Life Skills. We will only be cooking in here, as I agree with most of you that sewing is simply a waste of time, given that none of us make our own clothes. Hopefully I'll get rid of all of you before a fire starts," the class looked stunned while Veronica twists her mouth into a wry smile. "today we're simply going to go over the standard kitchen safety facts, as _some_ of you have never cooked your own meal. Depending on how long it takes to find a new journalism teacher, I think our goal will be to make a meal together and take it over to the homeless shelter for the holidays."

"Mrs. Vankley, I can't participate in class, I have a very strict diet--" Caitlin starts, before getting interrupted.

"--I don't think you heard me Ms. Ford, we will be donating the food we make- if it's edible…"

_She trails off talking to the class more. Veronica, Wallace and Logan look at each other for a while before she begins to talk._

"Listen you two; I am not going to do all the grunt work simply because I'm a girl."

"Yeah Ronnie I know, besides- what if we get points taken off for everything leaning to the left?" Logan asks as Wallace laughs.

"What? Stop glaring at me V, you know all your cakes do that- how did you know that?" he asked, turning to Logan.

"We used to be friends Wallace, I told you that. Both of you can shut up, as each of you knows how much my cookies rock. Logan may not have gotten any recently, but being a raging jackass will do that. Should we be worried about Dick being near heating implements and sharp objects?" Veronica responds, turning to Logan.

"Yeah probably. Hey, how do you know Mrs. Vankley? She said it was nice to see you again." Logan asks.

"Oh, my dad and I helped her get her car back after it was stolen a few months ago. She's pretty cool, and won't let your bulimic skank of a girlfriend get away with much, so prepare to be bitched at after this class is over. What do you see in her anyway?" Veronica says, while looking through the drawers checking to see if they had everything.

Logan chuckled and looked towards his girlfriend, "Probably what you see in Vandergraff- a reflection; as both are so shallow. Never figured you to go out with a guy like him."

"What kind of guy did you 'figure' I'd be dating Logan? And think about your answer carefully, as I just looked though and now know where all the knives are." Veronica asks exasperated, not bothering to turn around.

"I don't know Ronnie, aren't you still pining after DK? I always—"

She slams the drawer closed and turns around. "No Logan, I am not still hung up on Duncan. It was a year ago. Why do you all think that? He's part of a different me. One who didn't know how awful you could be as a friend." Veronica interrupts, and then turns to Wallace.

"V, you know I'm taking your side- but I've got a basketball game, and the bus leaves in ten minutes. I gotta go grab my stuff. I'll call you later, sorry. Man, I'm telling you- watch what you say to her." Wallace picks up his bag, and Mrs. Vankley nods at him as he leaves the room.

"Well, he was protective. Maybe I was wrong Ronnie. You and Walter seem to be quite close. Do I need to speak to Vandergraff about your relationship with him?" Logan asked turning to Veronica again.

"Logan, my 'relationship' with Wallace is more platonic than the one between you and Dick. He's waving at you by the way." Veronica snarked, motioning to Dick who is indeed waving to Logan from across the room.

_The camera views Mrs. Vankley who is finishing her talk to the class. Veronica and Logan can still be seen talking to each other in a harsh manner. Caitlin is looking at her fingernails, while Dick and Casey are poking each other with egg beaters._

"OK, homework. Each of you will come next time with five recipes that you as groups feel you could create. Work together, and write up which person will do what in the kitchen. I will look through and decide which you will make for the class after next."

"Look, why don't I just choose a few things I know I can make and write up the tasks? See you later Logan." Veronica says, turning to walk out of the room with the rest of the class.

"Why Ronnie- are you asking me to _lie_ about my involvement in a group project? Because that would be wrong. No no, I think we need to meet and discuss this as a group. How about tonight?" Logan asks, grabbing her arm. "We'll have to meet at your place, because the value of my home would go down if you came on the property."

Veronica glowers at Logan and responds, "No can do Logan, I'm working at tonight and we should involve Wallace if you're going to be all 'we need to work as a group.'"

"Call him later. Come by your office after, or I'll have to spend the time talking to your father." Logan smiles, ignoring Caitlin who is waiting impatiently nearby.

"You wouldn't." Veronica stated, then realizing that he would indeed bother her dad, and possibly with stories about her goings-on at school replied "Fine. I'll try to be back by seven. But if I miss getting a photo of the cheating wife with the pool boy, you're buying my new boots. Now go away, Super-Tan Barbie looks like she's going to eat something if you don't stop her."

"Yes, what would the world be coming to if I dated a fattie? Catch you later Mars."


	2. Turn Back Time

Chapter 2:Turn Back Time

_Veronica pulls in to Mars Investigations to find Logan standing by is XTerra outside. It's dark outside, and he comes up to the car while she shuts it off._

"Logan, why did you want to even meet here? All the cookbooks are at home."

Logan looks surprised, just realizing this. "Oh, right. Guess I didn't think of that. Well, homeward bound Ronnie. If you're good, I'll even pick up some food beforehand. Chinese good?"

Veronica looks up, startled by this act of kindness "Fine. Let me call and tell my dad where we're going. You better hope he doesn't give you 'the talk' about being alone with me in our apartment."

"Now Ronnie, I'm sure he's given up on the whole 'you have virtue' idea. Really, he's a private eye. He should be able to see what a--" Logan begins, and is then interrupted.

"See what an intelligent and talented daughter he has?" Keith Mars asked while holding Backup on a leash, "Honey, I was going to ask you to bring the beast home. Now I wonder if he should practice those new attack moves we trained him."

Veronica sighed, "No dad, it's fine. Logan knows he should apologize by buying me two of everything on the menu. Right?" she questions, turning her attention towards the tall boy.

"Sure, whatever. Let's go." Logan said hurriedly, obviously uncomfortable. "Follow me to the Bamboo Express? We'll grab some on the way. Mr. Mars, what would you like? I'll need to order more of that, as we both know your daughter will eat everything else."

"Oh Logan, thank you but I already ate some leftover pizza upstairs. Backup's joining you in the car Veronica; don't hesitate to show what a quick learner he is." Keith said, looking sternly at Logan.

"Fine dad, we're going to get going. This shouldn't take very long." Veronica replied, opening the door as Backup happily jumped in.

_The two drive away down the road. Next scene: Logan and Veronica are outside a Chinese food takeout. Veronica is holding Backup by the leash and the two are arguing over a menu._

"Veronica I'm telling you, there is no way you can eat three orders of beef and broccoli. We'll get two, and then you can make do with the other five items I'm buying for you. In addition to the food for your dad and me." Logan said, exasperated.

"Fine Logan, but if I'm taking food from you if I want more. Don't forget egg rolls and I want a Skist…" Veronica orders, trailing off. Troy and Caitlin are seen getting out of his car, his hand casually slipping into her back pocket. "Son of a bitch!" she whispered in shock.

"Looks like we both chose the wrong people to date Ronnie." Logan muttered, and then walked up to the pair. "Caitlin, how nice to see you. Vandergraff, have you found your car keys on my now ex-girlfriend's ass?" he asked coldly. Veronica trails close behind, dragging the pitbull with her.

"Log…Logan! Veronica! Um, I thought you were working on that project tonight--" Troy sputtered, quickly removing his hand from the blonde's jeans.

"Yes, pity that we took a break and crashed your fun time Troy. Really… _Caitlin_? You couldn't have at least cheated on me with someone _attractive_?" Veronica hissed as Caitlin opened her mouth to talk, but then decided against the idea. "Now I regret dating someone with such low standards to begin with. You remember Backup, don't you? I suggest the two of you leave before he decides to show off."

_Logan nods and motions with a hand, dismissing the duo. The two turn around and drive away. Veronica sighs and goes to lean against the brick wall of the restaurant, petting Backup. Logan throws an empty can into the road and stands by himself for a while, then comes to join her._

"So I understand that ice cream is usually in order for a situation like this. Now, I didn't really have feelings for the slut to begin with, but you seemed to like Vandergraff." Logan began, "But you're not crying, so I'm a little confused. Am I stopping for mint chip after this or not?"

Veronica snorted a laugh, "You know what? I'm actually not as hurt by this that I should be. Apparently, he meant as much to me as Caitlin did to you. Why do the two of us always end up in the bad relationships?"

"We were both screwed from the beginning by having Kanes teach us what love is." he replied, looking down at her. "Neither one of us has been in a healthy coupling, so we don't know what to do for a real, meaningful bond between two people. You should do what I do and base them purely on sex."

"Yes, well… just pick up the food Logan. We still need to choose what we're making. Mrs. Vankley's cool, but she won't put up with bullshit work." Veronica said, rising from her previous position. "Just drive over to my apartment, forget about the ice cream. I have some at home if you break down in tears. Cookie dough is still your favorite, right? Come on boy, let's go home."

_Veronica walks Backup to the car and drives off. Logan smiles to himself and walks in for the food._

_Cut to Veronica and Logan on the floor of the apartment, leaning on the couch while Backup sits above them on the cushions. Half-empty Chinese food cartons lay around them, and the two are talking._

"Logan! We are not making 'special' brownies for class! We would get expelled!" Veronica laughs, "Let's just bake those toffee bars your mom used to make…" she trailed off looking sad, immediately realizing what she has brought up.

"Yeah, that would be good Ronnie." the boy said sullenly, "I never formally thanked you for your help with that did I?"

"Logan, that is so not an issue. I don't need to hear it." Veronica put her hand on his arm "How are you coping? Is Trina living at the house now?"

He scoffed, "Yeah, she walked in the door the next morning and proclaimed how sorry she was that she couldn't have come sooner, but Australia was simply _so_ demanding. But really, thanks for your help with that. I know I didn't deserve it."

"You deal with pain differently than most people would. But it was still a way for you to move through the frenzy--" Veronica said calmly, looking at her hands. Both knew that they weren't just talking about Lynn anymore.

"No, it was a dick move on my part and we both know it. I lashed out at you because you were what was left of the group. I couldn't be mad at DK, he was practically comatose, but you… you kept living your life out." Logan stated, grasping her hands with his.

"I had to focus myself into something Logan. I was trying to find a way to fill the void she left behind." Veronica said bleakly, "I had never been so alone. She was always been a part of my life, then there was nothing. What do you do when your sun is gone? You find other sources to light your world." Tears drip slowly down her face, and Logan puts his arm around her. Eventually she lets her head lay against his shoulder, giving into the comfort she never had from the boy who never gave it.

_The two sit quietly for a while, then Logan breaks the silence._

"Do you think she's in heaven?"

Veronica looks up at him, "I like to think so, but then the Catholics are wrong, and premarital sex doesn't lead to eternal hellfire." and stood to throw away the cartons.

He laughs loudly "God, I missed you. Dick doesn't get half of my jokes, and he doesn't notice the things that would remind you or me of her. She adored you, you know. Half of what she did when we were together was talk about you. Said that one day you would leave Duncan, the join in our wild and sultry lifestyle." he rose to help her, "It's weird- the fact that only you and I survived the ordeal and came out better. I needed your help and you came through, even after all this. Veronica Mars, you are nothing if not a good friend."

Veronica stiffened a little. "We're friends now? Logan, just because I understand that some things between us have changed doesn't mean your feudal system of 09ers will. Besides, there's a past with the two of us." she took a breath, it was time to get this out.

She put down the empty containers and began, letting loose the pressure that has been building for almost a year, ignoring his surprised face. "I lost her too- my best friend! I was sixteen, and my world as I had known it ended. You know that she was all over the news, everywhere. No one in this fucking country could get enough of the fabulous Lilly Kane! Duncan and I had broken up, and I _still_ don't know why; and _you_- the last person attached to that life was in a drunken stupor for days. You had the alcohol to hide with, I couldn't hide. My dad was goddamn _sheriff_; you know the case was in my home then too. When the two of us finally started going to school again, you had declared open season on me by what could only have been a phone tree arranged by Dick and Madison.

"Prank calls in the middle of the night, my car was egged, dirty words on my locker, books knocked out of my hands, the photoshopped pictures you and Dick plastered the hall with one day- each one of those things _killed me_ Logan! And that's only publicly. You cannot even imagine what happened to me during gym classes with Madison; she's always hated me, felt I was 'above my station' with Lilly and Duncan. My clothes went missing too many times to count, my locker and backpacks glued shut, and worse things than you could even think of were whispered loudly about me and Duncan's relationship. And _none_ of that shit hurt as much as the fact it was you leading the charge! Everytime you smiled at me had me thinking that maybe you didn't blame me anymore. But no, it was a distraction while one of your toadies was pouring soda on my bag. You have a lot more to do before I put everything behind me, Logan. I'm not going to forget this past year- no one put in my position could." She let out a breath.

_Silence reigned once more and Veronica turned, shaking her head sadly as she resumes cleaning. Once again Logan's voice rang out, but this time cautious._

"You know what- I'm ready to do that. Do more, I mean. No more pranks, and I'll try to talk the rest of them around to leaving you alone." Logan stated, turning her face to face with him. "Veronica Mars, you are going to think of me as a friend again. I'm going to prove myself to you."


	3. Questioning the Memories

Chapter 3: Questioning the Memories

_Veronica is in her room looking through pictures of her, Lilly, Duncan and Logan. She has always thought of the three of the others in that order. Lilly was her best friend, her guardian and her devil. Duncan was her boyfriend, her companion and her love. Logan was… well, she didn't know who he was then, much less who he was to her now. _

"I don't know Wallace. He said that he was going to 'prove himself,' and I'm a little worried about what that means. Subtlety has never been the boy's strong suit, although a 'Veronica Mars is Awesome' parade holds promise. When he and Lilly were dating, proving himself meant shoving any guy who looked at her and beating any guy who flirted with her." Veronica talked on her phone to Wallace.

"He seemed a little hurt when I asked if he thought we were friends. I think he figured that after his mom and everything that we were friends again. But I'm apprehensive. The shitstorm that has been this past year was almost unbearable. I only survived because I have Lilly's killer to look for. If things turn nasty towards him, he doesn't have anyone to hold on to. Lynn was the only person he could have felt that way about, after Lilly; and he knows now what happened to her."

_She continues to flip through the old photos, smiling to herself and continued to speak._

"No Wallace, that's just it. I don't think we were friends when it was the four of us. We were forced together by Kanes. Honestly, if I hadn't been so close to Lilly and Duncan he wouldn't have talked to me."

_FLASHBACK: Veronica and Lilly are at a diner. Lilly' phone rings, and she answers._

_"Hello… Mom, I'm having lunch with Veronica and Logan. No I don't know where he is, have you tried his cell? Why would I know where brother dearest is? No Veronica doesn't know, he broke up with her… God Celeste, way to hide your excitement. You know what? Fine. I'll go look for him."_

_"I'm sorry to leave like this Veronica Mars. But Logan will be here soon, and the two of you can hang out. I know! You should seduce him on this very table. Yes Veronica Mars, you simply must do so to make up for my fabulous self not being here. Do something drastic and outlandish in order to compensate." Lilly says to Veronica as she throws her purse around her arm and air kisses Veronica's cheeks "Have fun darling! Tell Logan I have encouraged him to take advantage of your gloomy self!"_

_She walks out of the diner, and Veronica sits alone at the table playing with the wooden pick game. She doesn't notice when a yellow XTerra parks outside. Logan walks up to the table and looks at her for a while before sitting down._

_"Where's Lilly?" he asks, moving one of the picks and jumping another._

_Veronica looks up startled, and answers "Celeste called and told her to go find Duncan. Apparently, he didn't come home. She left, but you can probably get her on her cell."_

_"Why are you so down Ronnie? I must say, depression doesn't go with the pastels you wear all the time." Logan asked, moving the wooden toy out of the way and motioning to the waitress for two menus._

_Veronica looked at him for a bit, then burst out "You're his best friend Logan! You have to know what I did wrong- why won't he speak to me?"_

_Logan sat back in surprise "Wow Ronnie, I don't know. No one knows why the Kanes do what they do, but we go along with whatever it is. Look at me- Lilly probably isn't looking for Duncan. She's most likely straddling a lifeguard down at Dog Beach right now. Yet I keep getting back together with her."_

_The waitress arrived, and asked for drink orders. Veronica was surprised when Logan ordered her a chocolate milkshake but rolled her eyes when he tried to get a beer, then settled for a Coke._

_"I don't understand Logan. Could you give me a ride home? I don't feel like eating right now." Veronica said glumly._

_"No Veronica. It seems as we have both been brushed off by the Kane children, and therefore must band together. You and I are going to eat lunch together, and I'm buying. From what I understand, ice cream is in order for girls in this situation." Logan declared as drinks were brought to the table. "Lilly stranded you here, and we're going to have a 'fabulous' time without her."_

_Veronica chuckled and said "She did tell me to seduce you on this table in front of all the old people. You have apparently been given permission to cheat, as long as it cheers me up."_

_Logan choked on his soda "Have I now? Unfortunately Ronnie, my condoms are in the car- but we're going to leave that for another time. Now, what do you want to eat? I'm a huge fan of the pancake face of whipped cream…"END FLASHBACK_

"Well, he did always make me laugh. Yes Wallace, I am aware this conversation makes you a total girl. No… I'm doing better now, jut confused. Tomorrow at school should be interesting. Here are the possible dishes we're going to submit to Mrs. Vankley tomorrow, just in case she asks you about them."

"Oh and Wallace? You and Weevil are not under any conditions to go and 'intimidate' Troy for cheating on me. I'm getting even on this one; if only for appearances' sake. So don't call him. Right, like you wouldn't have found his phone number in order to get even in some sort of protective ritual the two of you have for me. Yeah, I know. Thanks Papa Bear, bye."

_She sat on her bed for a while, continuing to flip through the old photos. A bluish color comes over the picture._

"God Veronica Mars, do you see now why I never had relationships? The only man a girl can trust is her daddy. Well, your daddy. _My_ paternal figure went and cheated with _your_ maternal figure!" Veronica's head shoots up from the photos to behold Lilly Kane swinging her legs while sitting on a desk.

"Lilly, you and Logan--" she began, and was then cut off.

"Doesn't count Veronica Mars. I was too fabulous for the boy to handle, and he was so clingy towards the end." Lilly said as she rose to go rifle through Veronica's clothes, "Look at you now, _red satin_ on Homecoming! I knew you had it in you, that's the side I was always trying bring out."

"Do you think I should trust him? His declaration of friendship? I've changed so much, Lilly. He caused that change." Veronica asked slowly.

"Of course you should be friends with him! Well, you may not see it- but the two of you had already made up. I would have preferred kissing along with it, but you have already started putting it behind you." Lilly said nonchalantly, "And he didn't cause that change in you. You did. Well, your decision after Shelly Pomroy's party did. The one where you got all bad-ass rocker chick and decided to stand up for yourself."

"Lilly, do you know who…" Veronica's voice trailed off as her dad came into the apartment, and the sound of a door closing is heard.

"Did you eat my share of the grub Veronica? There better be at least one order of fried rice left!" Keith asked loudly, bringing her back into the real world.


	4. Social Combat

Chapter 4: Social Combat

_It is the next day at school, in the Life Skills classroom. Groups from the previous chapter are working in their assigned kitchens. Veronica, Logan and Wallace are talking amongst themselves while cooking. The two are filling him in on the previous night's experience._

"So do you know what you're going to do?" Wallace asked Veronica while he poured batter into a pan. "Any ideas circling in Veronica Mars' revenge-filled head? I'd like to know ahead of time what they are so I can set aside the appropriate amount of bail money."

"Not yet, but I'm pretty sure he'll do something stupid soon." The petite girl replied, quickly moving to show Logan how to operate the oven. "Does Weevil know I don't want him punching Troy in the face? I want to do this revenge thing on my own."

"If Weevil punches Tory in the face, can I do it too? I know you decided we would each take care of our own significant other's punishment; but I really want to punch the guy in the face. No? Then I'm simply going to settle with taking away what Caitlin found so alluring to begin with." Logan sighed.

"You're giving all your money away to charity?" Veronica said sarcastically.

"No, banishing her from the 09er group. Status, Ronnie. That's what she wanted. Besides, if I give away my money, I'd have to rely solely on my good looks, rapier wit and superior intelligence. Nobody would want me to do that." Logan corrected.

"Status isn't everything, Logan. I get along fine without it." she replied quietly.

The boy turned her around and tilted Veronica's chin up, looking in her eyes. "You have drive, Veronica Mars. You're a survivor. Caitlin has nothing on you Ronnie. Remember that." He nods at her before letting her go back to work.

_After the girl turns around, Logan's gaze lingers over her body. Wallace, having watched the exchange between the two, is slightly confused. His eyes narrow at Logan and catches the boy's eye. Logan blinks, and starts talking again._

"Besides, we all know you're good at revenge. Need I remind you of the cock-bong plant?" Logan asked.

"Someone planted a _bong_ in your locker?" Veronica gasped, face full of innocence with a hand clasped across her mouth. "How _awful_! I hope you didn't get in much trouble. Why on _earth_ would _anyone_ do such a _horrible_ thing?" The tiny girl emphasized each word with a new, fluttering hand motion.

Wallace and Logan both chuckled as they put the bread into the now heated oven.

Mrs. Vankley gets up from her desk, where it can be seen she had simply been reading a Cosmopolitan. "Ok, are everyone's baked goods in the oven? Clean up your areas during this time, and then take a break until it's time to take them out." The volume in the classroom rises, and most students begin washing bowls.

_Caitlin walks over to Logan and Veronica's area. Veronica, Wallace and Casey are talking to each other while she shows them the proper way to wash Teflon cooking pots. Casey and Veronica have been much friendlier to each other since the cult/crazy parents incident._

"Hey Logan, my parent's are going to be out of town this weekend- do you wanna come over to help me with Vankley's homework?" the skinny blonde asked seductively.

"Now Caitlin, just because Veronica and I didn't acknowledge you last night doesn't mean I didn't see you cheating. Leave, I'm sure there's a vital purse store opening you should be attending. The old one looks like a knockoff." Logan said, not turning from the recipe he's reading.

"You don't understand baby," Caitlin whined, wrapping her arms around the taller boy's waist. "I was just lonely because you were spending your time with _her_. I promise I'll make it up to you this weekend." She continued, sliding her hands lower on his body.

Veronica loudly slams down the bowl she was scrubbing and flips around to face the girl. Ripping the taller girl's arms off of Logan, she begins speaking in a low but menacing tone. "Listen Elizabeth-Taylor-in-training! Everyone here knows the only reason you were with Logan was for status. The fact that you cheated on your last boyfriend with a PCHer hasn't been forgotten." The classroom has gone silent, Veronica's words cutting like glass. "Leave him alone, he wants nothing to do with you. This momentary lapse in taste on his part will be chalked up to the 'easy lay' factor. Bother him again, I will use all of my free time in thinking up ways to ruin you. And I have a lot of free time, now that the newspapers' on hold and my loss of pep. Leave him alone. Do you understand that, you ball-juggling whore?"

_Dick snorts at the insult, Wallace grins and Casey lets out an audible chuckle. The other students in the class look to one another, not knowing what to make of the showdown. Logan puts his hand on Veronica's arm and moves slightly in front of her. Caitlin is still reeling from the confrontation, blinking stupidly and looking like a fish. Totally not hot._

"Caitlin, I figured that since I caught you cheating I would be spared the task of thinking up a breakup speech. Apparently I was wrong. Listen, we need to talk…" he begins, speaking condescendingly towards the tall blonde. "I'm not going to lie to you and say we had a good run. You were an acceptable lay- not great, but serviceable. I really feel that we don't have anything in common, I don't cheat on my partners- you do; I'm not a shameless dramaqueen- you are… I hope you understand."

_An oven timer went off and Mrs. Vankley, slightly annoyed with what had happened broke the mood of the room._

"Alright, that's the bell that ends the match. This tiff is over, and someone take out whatever was baking in that oven. Everyone get back to your stations. Talk with your group members about the jobs for next class. If your recipe is going to need more ingredients than the list you gave me last week, you need to buy them yourselves. Work this out people! And Mr. Casablancas, despite your generous offer, I will not allow you to bring your maid from home to wash the dishes in here. Do it yourself."

The woman walked over to Veronica's station, "I'm not going to ask what that was about. Although the gist of it wasn't hard to pick up. Veronica, it's nice to know you can still stand up for yourself. But next time, can you interrupt someone else's class?" She stopped talking directly to Veronica and turned to include Logan in the conversation. "I'm not going to punish either of you for the disruption- but only because I enjoyed the verbal smack down that just occurred. Mr. Echolls, remember this moment if you're ever tempted about cheating on her."

_She turns and walks away, an amused smile on her lips. Wallace looks after her with an open mouth, appalled at the teachers' antics. Veronica smirks and turns to the subject at hand._

"Why would she assume the two of us are together?" she asked Logan.

"It may have something to do with the fact that you just tore down a girl for touching me Ronnie. I'm not complaining, as it was totally hot to watch- but I can see where she got the idea." Logan replied with a smile. "Anything you want to share with the group?"

Veronica looked at him again, bemused. "We came to the agreement that neither of us has good relationships because of our pasts Logan. I'm not the kind of girl who jumps into anyone's arms that shows her affection. For that you want Carrie Bishop."

The boy speaks again, in a lower voice than before, "You're right Ronnie, you defy definition." His flirting tone showed respect for the blonde, a fact not lost on Wallace.

"He's right V; you sort of break the girl-mold. The whole 'jaded yet perky' deal? All you, girl. I lost the sheet for next class. Can you go get one from Mrs. Vankley for me? Lady seems to like you more." The boy asked, closing his backpack.

"Sure Papa Bear, but it's not that she doesn't like you; you intimidate her with your gangsta ways." Veronica replied, and left to go talk to her teacher.

Wallace turned towards Logan, eyes narrowing as he spoke. "Real quick- you and me, Echolls. We're gonna have a talk after class. Stay in the hallway after she leaves."

"Dude, you know Ronnie was joking about your 'ghetto roots'? The whole intimidation thing doesn't fit you. However, I'm intrigued. I'll see you then, if I can get away from Dick."

Veronica, having heard the last part of Logan's sentence interjects, "I might be able to help get Dick away, but only if you tell me why you and Wallace need to meet."

Thinking quickly, Logan replied "Wally here is going to help me in one of Caitlin's revenge punishments. Status is no longer the only thing I'm going for, after he reminded me of your more recent achievements in the humiliation department. I can't let you top me in this, and we agreed to work separately. However, your help with Dick would be most appreciated Ronnie."

A slow grin came over Veronica's face. "Oh, game on Echolls."

_She motioned Casey to come over, and spoke to him quickly. After the boy got a smirk of his own, he nodded and walked back to his station and said something to Dick out of the corner of his mouth. Dick's head shot up are he whipped around towards Veronica._

"Mars, you spread that around school and I'll make your life hell!" he bellowed. "You think that you can just--"

"Dick, do you remember what I talked to you about?" Logan questioned harshly. "Leave her alone."

"Yes Mr. Echolls, I agree. And Mr. Casablancas, there's a small fire on your stovetop. You've shown that you have no respect for this class. Please go visit the Vice Principal's office while I try to clean up this mess." Mrs. Vankley added, coming forward with a copy of Wallace's mysterious missing paper in her hands.

"And that boys, is how it's done." Veronica stated, winking at Casey from across the room. The other boy had obviously started the fire, judging by his quiet chuckling as he helped clean his area. Glancing over, he returned the wink as Veronica smiled genuinely.

"The bread's finished. Nicely done Mars." Logan growled, having seen the interaction between her and Casey.


	5. Buddy Net

Chapter 5: Buddy Net

_Class is finished, and Logan walks up to Wallace in the hall outside the room._

"OK buddy, I'm here. Rejoice!" He jumps in front on Wallace.

"What's your deal with Veronica?" Wallace asked sharply.

"Deal? I'm trying to be her friend, despite her best efforts. I thought she called you to tell you all this. Aren't the two of you BFFs, bought matching necklaces, braided each others' hair? Drew your crushes names in hearts on each others notebooks?"

"Doesn't seem like friendship is the only thing you're looking for. You think I don't notice the looks and the frequent touching?" the other boy questioned. "I wasn't even here for the worst of the treatment you gave her, but the damage is there. For God's sake Logan, she introduced me to you as Neptune High's obligatory psychotic jackass! You beat the crap out of her car, spread rumors about her- which led to the fake purity test score, that you never denied; despite the fact that you know full well her past."

"All I'm asking is for you to be straight with me. If this continues, romantic interest or not; _you will not hurt her_. Not again. She never told her father everything you've done to her, and you know that if I tell him there would be hell to pay. I'm not saying don't make friends with her but if this is a joke to you, remember what I said." He finished.

Logan looked at the other boy, weighing him in. "Look, Veronica is the only other person in this school who understands what I went through. Duncan's here, but he is defiantly not one to bring up anything uncomfortable. You're right- what I did was bad, but you didn't go to school here when Lilly was alive. We all lost her, and had different ways of dealing. Apperently, she hasn't been quite as forgiving of my way as I had previously thought."

"Well gosh, why wouldn't she forgive you?" Wallace asked sarcastically. "You were only the figurehead of her destruction. I mean, it's not like you ripped a girl apart after her best friend had been murdered. Turning your back on her when she needed you the most? Really, it's all bygones now. Don't screw it up." Finished, the boy's glare was sharp and meaningful. Leaning against the wall, he appraised the Echolls boy; looking for any signs of maliciousness.

Meeting his gaze and stepping forward, Logan defended himself. "This isn't a joke to me Wallace. You know how valuable she is as a friend, an endless support system if she believes in you. I broke that trust, but I want to get it back. And you can threaten me all you want; I'm not losing her again. Unless she explicitly tells me to leave her alone, I'm not going to back down." And with that he walked away.

It was only during his next class did Wallace realize Logan hadn't acknowledged his question about wanting more than friendship.


	6. Toeing the Line

Chapter 6:Toeing the Line

_After school, Logan walked up to Veronica who was looking dejectedly at her tires. Every single one was flat with a large slash visible on each._

"Flat?" He asked, leaning against the LeBaron.

Glancing up at him, Veronica sighed. "Just as God made me." She walked to her trunk and opened it. "Unbelievable."

Puzzled, Logan walked around to see. The spare tire had been removed, but the hub where it should have been was filled with toy truck wheels. "Oh, man. That sucks."

"Thanks for telling me Logan. Wouldn't have come to that conclusion by myself." She replied, searching the parking lot. "Well go congratulate him. Dick's obviously learned a bunch from the months of being your toady. Tell him job well done, I can't get home."

Looking in the direction she was, Logan answered. "You can't honestly believe that Dick came up with something this creative on his own."

Snorting, Veronica put her attention back to boy next to her. "I'd be impressed if it weren't for the fact that I pulled this prank to Enbom after the purity test scandal. Don't you remember him driving a different car for five days? I mailed him his rims back one at a time. Nice of you to think it was creative, though."

"Oh. Well." Logan said. "What about the purity test?"

"Don't you know? Enbom was the one who wrote the score of 14 on my locker." The blonde answered. "Back to the topic at hand. No, Dick's not smart enough to think up the idea. But copy it? You know the answer."

Nodding, Logan stood. "OK. I'll go take care of it." He turned around. "By the way, Ronnie. The whole flat-chested remark? Most guys say they don't need more than a handful." Winking, he walked over to his surfer friend.

Veronica smiled and shook her head as she went into her bag. Pulling out a copy of _The Sun Also Rises_, she sat on the hood of her car and began to highlight it.

Logan returned a few minutes later. "He's paying for the repairs. Grab your stuff, Mars. I'm driving you home."

Jumping in surprise, Veronica took off her sunglasses and looked at him. "Really? And just how did you persuade Dick to do that?"

"Doesn't matter. Let's go." He said, leaning into her car to pick up her bag.

Taking it from his hands, the blonde put the book back inside. "Alright then. Onward Jeeves."

Logan stopped in his tracks. "Call me 'Jeeves' again and you'll walk. This friendship deal isn't a one-way street, Mars. I'd appreciate it if you would make an effort too."

"Fine- no more Jeeves." Veronica said. "Thanks for doing this, Logan."

"Not a problem. It's what friends do for each other."

_The two reached the Xterra and Logan opened the door for her. Raising her eyebrows at the gesture, Veronica climbed inside. Smirking at the reaction, Logan got in the driver's seat. As he pulled out of the Neptune High parking lot, the boy glanced at her sideways._

"Where to, Ronnie? It's a little early to go home, and you would have called your Dad if he was expecting you in the office. Seems we can go anywhere, do anything. Wanna drive off into the sunset?"

"No sunsets, Logan. And I don't really care where we go right now." Veronica said, closing her eyes. "As long as I'm not at school, anything's good."

After thinking a few moments, Logan grinned. "I know what we should do."

Opening her eyes, Veronica turned in her seat. "If you're taking me to a strip club, pull over the car right now. You and Dick may do that, but I am not going to be that kind of friend."

"I'm shocked, Ronnie." He said, making a turn. "I know that most of your clients work in those clubs. It would be uncomfortable for us to go there. Me, referring to them by stage names; you, knowing them by their given ones. We'd never know who we were talking to."

Shaking her head, Veronica opened the window. "Most of _my_ clients are high school students, Logan. And my dad rarely works with the dancers. We tend to be employed by the wives who suspect their husbands are cheating on them with the girls."

Laughing, Logan let the topic rest. After a few minutes of silence, Veronica spoke.

"I'm sorry for my outburst at my apartment."

Quietly, the boy replied. "It's not something you need to apoligize for. Obviously, there are things we need to work through."

"That's just it, Logan. We have worked throught them. I should have realized that by helping you with your mom that I had forgiven you somewhat and moved on from the way we both acted after--"

"Ronnie, it's fine." He interrupted. "I was actually surprised that you even agreed to do that. There's so much crap between us that most people would have switched schools. You and I; we're both just too damn stubborn to give up."

"So my dad tells me." Veronica smiled. "Really Logan- you punched a federal agent for me. I don't think yelling at you after we just started talking again was a very polite way to go."

Laughing, the boy looked at her meaningfully. "And politeness is such a priority for the two of us. You're a girl, Mars. Girls' don't go beat out their emotions on the person who caused it. I don't know why, they should do it- preferably in mud. The inferior gender simply lets things stew until it's too much."

"Women are not the inferior gender." she glared. "Just because we don't stage bum fights doesn't mean we aren't able to release our anger."

"Well, you're not much of a girl. You know, with the whole, 'challenging the world to make it better' ideals. You're different, Mars."

Both of them sat silently after the exchange, thinking about the conversation they just had. About how much their relationship had changed in one year.

"Why do you never call me Veronica?"

"What?" the boy asked, keeping his eyes on the road. "I call you Veronica."

"No, you don't. It's either 'Mars' or 'Ronnie'." She corrected, sitting back. "Which is funny. Lilly always called me "Veronica Mars.' Never just Veronica, it had to be the full name. She said she wanted me to know how big my name sounded, and that I needed to do big things to live up to it. Yet you just shortened it."

"Maybe because you're short." Logan remarked, then laughed as she swatted at him. "Nice to see you're still sensitive about the height jokes."

"I don't know… maybe because those names are cuter?" he continued, choosing to ignore her blush. "We're here."

_He has parked in front of a restaurant. The same diner that he and Veronica ate lunch at after Duncan had broken up with her. Veronica got out the car and looked over at him._

"I can't believe you remembered this place. We only ate here that one time!"

Looking sheepishly back at her, Logan replied. "Yeah, but there weren't many times when it was just the two of us. I remember all of them."

Walking in the door, Veronica looked back at him. "We really did only know each other through Lilly and Duncan, didn't we?"

"And look what we ended up with. Broken hearts and faded memories." The boy said, as they were shown to a booth. "Enough about the Kanes. Let's talk about something else."

Smiling, she agreed. "Alright then. What should we talk about? Any gossip within the 09ers?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Ronnie. Seeking blackmail information over a late lunch. Shame on you." Logan shook his finger at her. "Actually, you seem to get the gossip sooner than I do. I think it's the combination of sleuthing skills and female genes that makes you a rumor encyclopedia. What have you heard about me?"

"That you lost your virginity at the set of one of your dad's movie sets when you were fifteen. That you pick a different freshman each month to deflower in the back of your Xterra. That over the summer, Nicole Richie gave you a blowjob in the bathroom of Club Thin. That Madison Sinclair really wanted you to take her to Homecoming and was so jealous that you didn't that she cut Caitlin's dress straps at Dick's afterparty." Veronica smiled. "The allure of Logan Echolls hasn't faded."

Smiling back at her, Logan took a sip of his drink. "And yet you seem to have immunity to it."

_The duo's eyes met, and Logan moved so their legs were touching. Veronica's foot hooked itself around his ankle. Both of them kept the gaze, each daring the other to make a move. Logan put his hand on top of hers and she raised an eyebrow._

"Here's your food kiddos!" the waitress said loudly, breaking the connection between the two teenagers.

Recovering, Veronica took her hand from under Logan's to grasp the plate being offered to her. "Thanks. This looks great."

"Yeah. Thanks a lot." Logan continued. "Could I have another Coke?"

As she bustled away, Veronica unhooked her foot at sat up straighter. Taking a bite out of her sandwich, she went back to the previous conversation. "So you know the rumors about you. What about the ones about me?"

Putting down his burger, Logan said quietly. "I'm not going to say. I know you've heard some of them, and I realize that I may be to blame for a few. The only thing I'll tell you is that they've stopped coming up with new ones the last two or three months."

After getting quiet for a bit, Veronica responded. "I know most of them. It's not a lie that girls can be vicious when it comes to tormenting their peers. Guess they exhausted themselves in the beginning and can't think of new ones."

She took another bite of her club and after chewing, spoke again. "Alright! New topic. I never told you how much the first lunch here helped me. You were great to stay with the ex-girlfriend of your best friend and cheer her up."

"Ronnie, I didn't know why Duncan broke up with you. Still don't, actually. But I would have thought your Dad taught you- guys do crazy things to stop a girl from crying."

The mood lightened, and Veronica smiled. "Yeah, I've gotten a lot of information for cases by abusing that fact. Car salesmen feel especially awkward when faced with a teary blonde girl."

"Really?" Logan laughed. "And how often do you use this trick?"

Putting a hand on his arm, Veronica looked into his eyes. "It's not a trick, Logan. It is a vital tool for my job." Turning her attention back to the sandwich, she grinned. "And it works best in person. Men feel even more guilty by the fact I look like a cheerleader. You don't get that over the phone- the innocence and naivety don't convey, you know?"

"What do you do when information is needed from a woman?" Logan questioned, thoroughly amused by the conversation.

"I can't tell you all my secrets, Echolls. Hey, I need to go make a phone call. How much do I owe for the food?" she said, getting her bag from under the table.

"This one's on me, Ronnie. You got your car wrecked by my friend. I think the rules specify that I pay." The boy grinned. "Go ahead; I can take care of it."

Tilting her head to the left, Veronica asked. "You sure? Thanks Logan. I'll be outside when you're done."

_She put her bag over her shoulder and walked out of the diner. Logan watched her as she walked away, leaning towards the aisle for a better view. The waitress arrived with the check and handed it to him._

"She's a pretty girl. You two an item?"

Handing over the money, Logan answered the woman. "I'm not sure. We could be."

Shaking her head, she handed him the change. "Honey, I'm gonna tell you this lesson- remember it and take it to heart. Any chance at happiness is one that you need to go for. It's hard to get it back after it's too late."

"Don't I know it. Things are just complicated. We've got a pretty tangled past." The boy responded, shaking his head at the money. "Keep it. Have a nice day."

_Rising, Logan gave the woman a quick smile and put his jacket back on. Walking outside, he waited by the door until Veronica finished her phone call._

"Everything OK?"

Putting the phone in her bag, Veronica smiled. "Yeah. Dad just wanted me to order a car for him in Milwaukee. No problem."

"Do you need to go to the office? I can stop there on the way to your house." Logan asked, getting out his keys.

"Oh, no. I just called in the request. Thanks though." She opened the car door. "This is really sweet, Logan. You didn't have to do this for me."

Smiling, Logan handed her bag inside. "It told you Ronnie- it's not a problem."

He got inside the car and had started the engine; Veronica leaned forward to turn on the radio. Logan stopped her hand mid-air. "No one touches the radio but me, Mars."

Sitting back, she smirked. "I remember that rule. Lilly always said it was because you had some embarrassing pop music in the CD changer. I do believe ABBA was the example she gave me."

"I'll have you know that 'Dancing Queen' is a song that defined a generation. There is nothing wrong with them." He huffed, getting on the road. "The radio rule is because Lilly broke my radio more times than I can count trying to change the presets. And I'll be damned if Dick touches my music."

Raising her hands, Veronica relented. "Whatever. How did you convince Dick to pay for my car?"

"Have you ever met Dick Sr.?" Logan asked. "The man may be a cut-throat real estate broker, but he cares about being a gentleman. He would not be pleased if he found out his son had refused to help a female classmate change a tire, much less him being the cause of why she had a flat in the first place."

"You threatened to _tattle_ on him?" Veronica gasped. "Logan that is the lamest thing I have ever heard. I thought you used your 09er king status to blackmail him or something."

Defending himself, Logan responded wryly. "Ronnie, nothing would hurt Dick more than being grounded. A grounding in the Casablancas house means no car, no surfing and no allowance. No allowance being cash taken away, and both credit and debit cards disabled. Dick hates being grounded."

"Ah, the life of the rich. A week of no cash and lack of transportation." The blonde sighed, putting her sunglasses on and reclining the seat. "Wallace has that all the time. Money really is the root of all evil."

"I wouldn't be knocking Dick's access to cash right now. Your car wouldn't be getting repaired for you if he wasn't rich." Logan laughed.

"Yes, but Dick may not be such a… namesake. If he didn't grow up entitled, I mean." She responded.

Glancing over, Logan's gaze raked over the blonde's silhouette. "What do you think of me? Would money have changed me?"

Veronica chuckled, eyes still closed. "You know, I'm honestly not sure. Everything about you is flashy, but a lot of it comes from the confidence you have. That belief that you're smarter and more clever than everyone else. Even your car draws attention. Why did you get it in yellow?"

"For exactly that reason. To draw attention." The boy laughed. "Do you really think I'm smart and clever?"

Opening her eyes, Veronica moved up her glasses and looked at him in the mirror. "I think that you think you are."

"And I think that you think I am." Logan said, pulling up in front of Veronica's apartment complex. "You're home, Ronnie. Go take that beast of yours for a walk."

Smiling, she uprighted the seat. "Thanks for the ride. And the food. I had fun, Logan. I appreciate that you took me back there."

_After unbuckling her seatbelt, Veronica leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. The kiss was a little off target and got the corner of his mouth as well. She turned to open the car door. Logan grasped her arm and spun her back around; returning the favor, this time on the lips. Surprising both of them, she kissed back with passion. Veronica ran her hand up his chest until it wrapped around his neck. Logan's placed one hand on her knee and the other in her hair. After a few moments, his hand started to move higher on her leg and then both pulled away quickly._

_Eyes in shock, Veronica picked up her bag and got out of the car. When she got to her door, she looked back. Logan's car was still there, he hadn't gotten out. He sat in the driver's seat just as stunned as she was._


	7. You Have the Right to Remain Silent

Chapter 7: You Have the Right to Remain Silent

_It's lunch the next day, and Veronica and Wallace are seated at their usual table. Veronica is grilling him about Logan and what the two of them were plotting for Caitlin._

"Come on Wallace! I need to know how far he's going to correctly scale _my_ attack. I will not be shown up by Logan Echolls in the revenge department, especially since I have the whole 'woman scorned' thing going for me!"

"Girl, for the last time- I can't tell you!" Wallace sighed, and glanced at the 09er table. "Hey, what did Casey say to Dick before he went off on you in class yesterday? Something that might cause him to stab your tires?"

"She apparently mentioned that on a recent stakeout she had seen Dick with a very masculine-looking hooker." Logan said, walking up to their table and sitting down with a plate of pizza in hand. "That's what I could get from him, but I had to decipher between all the 'skank' and 'heinous bitch' remarks from him. Pizza, Ronnie?" He looked at her face, questioning about more than just the food.

"Yes, Casey was loyal enough to go and tell his friend what I had seen. Wallace, in the office did you hear how Dick was trying to play off this 'attempted arson of the school' charge?" Veronica asked, helping herself to a slice of pizza and grabbing one for Wallace. She met Logan's eyes, meaning behind the gaze.

Noticing the exchange, Wallace decided against saying anything about it. "Um, Vankley came later to talk to Clemmons. I think they agreed that he could write an essay about fire safety in the kitchen and avoid suspension. Really, I think the woman just wanted him out of the room." he answered, taking a bite.

"She sent Enbom to the clinic last week for flatulence because she was sick of him bothering this sophomore in the hall. Reminds me of you a little Ronnie, in that 'take no prisoners, punish evil' mindset. Except you're not a high school Home Ec. teacher. You go out and fight the actual evil of the world, in your super-hot spy outfits." Logan laughed, and then turned his attention to Wallace. "Wally, could you get me Caitlin's class schedule? I need to know where to stage the setup we discussed."

Veronica looked at him oddly. "Logan, there are no super-hot spy outfits. I sit in my car and take photos of philandering husbands. -- You dated her for over a month, why didn't you know her schedule?"

"Because she knew mine. No need to fill this pretty head with useless information if the cow with free milk comes to me." The blonde boy replied. "Can you get it to me after school?'

Before Wallace could reply, Dick's voice rang out.

"Dude, Logan! Are you done slumming yet? We need to talk about surfing later!"

Waving a hand, Logan continued to speak to Veronica. "You should get on your own plans Ronnie. Otherwise I'm going to win without even trying." He rose and walked back to him table, turning to wave back at her on the way.

"Hey Wallace, how many of the 09er girls are glaring at me right now?" Veronica joked.

The boy glanced over, "Around five or six. What do you expect when their king comes over to flirt with Neptune High's own pariah?"

"He didn't come over to flirt with me Wallace. He asked you for a favor. And gave us food." The blonde girl replied as the bell went off. "I'd ask you to get me Troy's schedule; but I'm ashamed to say that I already knew it."

_The bell rings, ending lunch. Wallace goes to his class. Veronica and Logan have the same history class, and he catches up with her._

"Walk you to class, friend?" the taller boy asked, coming along side her.

"Sure Logan. I've been meaning to ask you what you talked about with Dick, and why he stopped his verbal diarrhea towards me."

Logan stopped Veronica before she entered the classroom and turns her to face him, touching her shoulder. "Ladylike metaphor, Ronnie. I told you I'd try to talk them around when it comes to you. You know more than most the way my opinion is usually the one that they take. You doing OK on this fine day?"

She laughed, walking through the door. "Logan, yesterday I got to kick your ex-girlfriend's ass in what Wallace has deemed a verbal apocalypse for her. Dick got harassed and blamed for a fire he didn't set. Today pales in comparison. That free pizza doesn't even the score."

"Hey, can you not say that fact so loud?" Casey asked Veronica as she sat down in the desk in front of him.

"Relax Casey. I can keep a secret. I stockpile them for future use!" she said perkily.

"Is that the only reason you're friends with me? Collateral purposes?" he joked.

"That, and the fact you showed to me that you were a good guy. Most of time. I don't mind that you went back to the world of wealth and privilege; the change didn't affect your attitude towards me. I respect that." Veronica said seriously, turning to the front as Mr. Rooks begins the lesson.

_Logan, sitting near the two watched their interactions. He was surprised that the ease at which Veronica referred to Casey as a friend made him jealous. Shaking his head slightly, he turned his attention back to class._

_Near the end of school, Van Clemmons comes to the door and asks to speak to Mr. Rooks outside. After a few minutes, Rooks returns and speaks to the class; looking slightly pale._

"Guys, Mr. Clemmons has informed me of a situation that needs to be attended. There's only fifteen minutes left of school. While I can't dismiss you guys early, please just chill here after I leave." And with that, he went back into the hall, walking towards the office.

Veronica gets up and walks over to Logan's desk. "What was that about? Hey, um…" she lowered her voice, "You left your jacket and some books at my house the other night. Can you come by after school to pick them up?"

"Yeah, sure. What's with the whispering?" Logan asked in the same quiet tone.

"It's just- I'm really not in the mood to be called a whore today. Someone overhearing me inviting you to my apartment may get the wrong idea." She replied.

Logan smirked. "Ronnie, since when have you cared what's being spoken about you?"

She looked him the eye. "It depends on who's doing the talking, Logan. I care sometimes; I just had to learn how to hide it."

Ducking his head, Logan immediately felt bad. "Sorry. Look, I'll stop by after surfing. Probably around five or so. That gives you time to do your spy pixie magic to find out what's up with Rooks."

Veronica looked at him appraisingly. "You know me well, Echolls. Five it is."

_The bell rang, and Veronica pulled out her cell phone. _

"Hey Wallace. What can you tell me about Mr. Rooks and the vital situation today?" Veronica's mouth dropped. "No way. No freaking way. Who filed it? Carrie Bishop? Thanks, Wallace. Gotta go."

The tiny blonde girl walked out of class, and searched the hallways. Finding her quarry, she strode up to a brunette girl at her locker.

Slamming the locker closed, Veronica asked loudly, "Carrie, why did you file a complaint against Mr. Rooks which states that he and you had a relationship and he got you pregnant?"

"Why do you care?"

"There aren't many good teachers in this world. Mr. Rooks is one of them."

The other girl looked harshly at Veronica. "Believe what you want. Never cared what you thought of me before, no reason to start now." She walked away.

_Casey walked up to Veronica after observing the conversation. _

"There's a girl whose value has gone down considerably. From what I understand, no one has spoken to her since the news of her tryst went public."

"Her 'tryst' with him never happened." Veronica said, leaning against the lockers. "And I'm going to prove it."

"How are you so sure?"

"Carrie Bishop is nothing but a liar and manipulator. She was one of the first girls to start spreading the gossip about me and Duncan's relationship after it went south. None of it was true, and neither is this."

Smiling, Casey looked down at her. "Can I help? Mr. Rooks is a good teacher, one of my favorites."

Looking at him, Veronica smiles back. "Actually, yeah. Could you talk to the yearbook editor and find whatever you can on Carrie for the past two years? We're on sort of bad terms after—actually, you don't need to know, he just doesn't like me." After the boy nodded his confirmation, she pulled out her cell phone.

"Hey, do me a favor?..."


	8. Territory Ahead

Chapter 8: Territory Ahead

_That evening, at the Mars house. Veronica opens the door and lets Logan inside._

"Your stuff is on the counter there."

"Thanks. Hey, can I talk to you? Look, I'm sorry about Dick today. I really did talk to him about leaving you alone, but he's not the quickest learner." The boy said, running a hand through his hair.

She laughed, and sat on the sofa. "Logan, if I let what Dick said bother me; I'd have to actually care about Dick. So you were serious when you said you would talk to them about me."

"Ronnie, I'm serious about being your friend again. If talking to Dick and them about you will get that, I'll do it." He said, sitting next to her on the couch. "You proved yourself to be a better person than all of them. When my mom- when she… well, all Dick said was 'Bummer man' and then asked if I wanted to go surf it off."

Veronica looked at him incredulously. "You're kidding. He was actually dense enough to invite you to go forget about your mom by playing in the ocean?"

"Yeah. And Duncan, he just hasn't really been himself since last year. He was there for me physically, you know? But he just wanted to talk about how fucked up our lives have become. But you, you listened to me. You didn't try to get me to forget what I thought. Hell, you were right along side me while I looked. Why did you do that, if we're not friends?"

Sighing, Veronica looked straight ahead. "Because I know what it's like not to believe what everyone else does. Maybe I'll explain that to you some other time. And you needed me."

"Whatever your reason, that's when I decided that I can't keep blame you for what happened. I just kept thinking that if you hadn't told Lilly about Yolanda, then we'd still be together. That I could have stopped what happened to her if I had been there. Hell, I 'what if-ed' myself into oblivion; but none of it changed what happened."

"Logan, I'm not saying I forgive you for everything. I'm sure as hell not going to forget what happened, and you can't expect me to. But the other day? When you told Dick publicly to leave me alone and chose me over him? That's when I decided we could be friends again." She stuck out her hand. "Put 'er there, friend."

_He laughed, and shook the hand. Both of them smiled at each other, eyes meeting. Realizing the electricity between the two, Veronica blinked and shook her head. Standing, she walked to the kitchen._

"So I remember you saying that ice cream heals all wounds. Want some? Dad's out chasing a bail jumper, so I'm thinking about sundaes for dinner." She asked while pulling out the fixings.

Getting up to join her, Logan opened the freezer. "Ronnie, I think you need to go see a doctor about that tapeworm in you. That's the only explanation for the amount of food you're able to stuff into that body of yours."

Veronica gasps, "Did you just call me _fat_? Logan, I know you don't believe in relationships, but even you should know not to say that to a girl!"

"Ronnie, that's not was I was saying and you know it. You body's great- it's just that other people tend to get fat after they eat their weight in Chinese food, then follow it with pizza and ice cream. You defy caloric logic."

Choosing to ignore the compliment to her body, Veronica stood on her toes to reach the bowls. "I've been told that I defy lots of things: logic, rules, conventional wisdom—eiiigh!" She tipped off of her stance.

_Logan turned and caught her. Their eyes met once again, and this time he leaned forward slightly. Closing the gap between them, Veronica met his lips. The two stood there for a while, cautiously exploring the other's mouths. Logan's hands slowly traveled around her waist, until she tore away and got an ice cream scoop._

Standing there confused, Logan asked. "Veronica, are you going to talk to me about what just happened? Or yesterday?"

Shaking her head, Veronica went to get out spoons. "I don't know Logan. That, there? You and I are not supposed to feel that way about each other."

Hurt, the boy turned her to face him. "Why not? It's nothing bad, two people are attracted to one another."

"It's not just two people being attracted. You and I just got over hating each other! Our significant others cheated on us with each other! You're Lilly's ex-boyfriend, Duncan's best friend- my life is enough of a soap opera already. This takes it a step forward into 'really bad idea' territory."

"And why is it such a bad idea? Because of our pasts? Veronica, if anything, that should make us better suited for each other. We've been through the same thing, no need to explain it to the new significant other. How many other people aren't freaked out when we bring up Lilly? I'm sure Wallace tries, but you can't expect him to fully understand when you do that staring into space thing one of her songs plays on the radio, or we hear the word 'fabulous' and the world skips a beat. I do the same things."

"Look Logan, I'm not saying no to this- but can I think about it? Stay for ice cream, and I'll try to give you an answer before you leave. We can watch a movie or something." She sighed.

He looked at her, and then got the bowls down. "Alright, but remember what I said. Just think about what I said."

_The two sat next to each other on the sofa, watching _Psycho Beach Party_. Sometime during the movie, Veronica's hand found its' way into Logan's. Later, she leaned against his body, and wrapped his arm around her. He smiled, but didn't do anything more or stop the movie. As the credits started to roll, she turned her head and kissed him. Before it could get further, he pulled away._

"So that's a yes? We'll test this out?" he asked, looking in her eyes.

She smiled. "It's a yes. But Logan, can we keep this to ourselves for a little while? Just to test the waters. And I think that we need to tell Duncan before anything goes public."

Frowing, he drew back slightly. "I'm not the kind of person who hides from their emotions, Ronnie. I won't be your dirty little secret."

Rushing to appease him, the blonde grabbed his hands. "Nonono, I just meant that there is a past between us; and we need to tell said past about this- thing- beforehand."

"Alright, that makes sense. So can we 'test the waters' some more?" the boy grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Oh, I think that it would be very useful, but only from a research standpoint." Veronica smirked.

"You know, in a correct research environment, there need to be extremes for the data. I think that we need to get started on one of those extremes--" Logan began.

"You mean the one where you don't get any?" she cut off, hitting his chest. "All testing will be in a first-trial state until the repercussions of the experiment have been fully assessed."

Logan winced. "Ok, can we stop the whole 'testing' analogy?"

Veronica nodded. "Agreed. Totally annoying. Um, I was wondering… can I call Wallace to tell him? I know we agreed not to go public until we talked to Duncan, but I hate keeping something this big from him."

Logan laughed. "Go ahead and call him. You might be a little surprised by his reaction though."

Veronica's eyes narrowed and she stood up and got her phone. "Wallace? It's Veronica. Um, can I talk to you about something? Yes, I'm aware that's what they made phones for. It's about Logan. He and I- you know how I told you we were going to try being friends?" she sighed, and glanced at Logan, who was watching her intently with a smirk. "OK, well something happened… and we're going to try taking that a step further."

"Yes, that means romantically. Stop laughing Fennel, I'm serious." She gasped. "What do you mean you already talked to him about it?! We were _not_ giving off sparks during Vankley's class!" Logan had doubled over laughing by this point. "I swear Wallace, this just happened! Look, seriously. We're going to keep this quiet, until the two of us know where we want it to go. Also, Duncan needs to be told before the shock hits Neptune High. I just called to give you a head's up if things between us change. Thanks, I'll tell him. Bye."

Turning to Logan, she said in a bewildered tone, "Wallace says 'I told you so' and to remember what he talked to you about. _What_ did the two of you talk about?"

"He was concerned about the way we were acting. I believe he threatened to tattle on me and nefarious deeds to Papa Mars if I hurt you." Logan said, pulling her towards him. "Plus, I really did need Caitlin's schedule."

Veronica grinned. "Oh, since we're together now; I can tell you about one of my revenge thoughts for her. Remember her new Vespa?"


	9. The First Symptoms

Chapter 9: First Symptoms

_The next morning, Veronica finds Carrie coming out of her car in the parking lot._

"I'm giving you another chance to drop your complaint against Mr. Rooks."

"Yeah, I remember when I was in love with him too." Carrie laughed, closing the car door.

"Did you ever consider that I just really dislike you?

"Wow! Does that mean you won't be signing my yearbook?"

"You're still in his class; you must not be too shook up." Veronica pointed out.

Carrie started walking away from the blonde. "I need his class to graduate. And he's the one who'll be leaving. Soon."

"All this because he gave you a C on a paper or something? You destroy him?" she asked, following the brunette towards the front doors.

She turned around, "Destroy him? From where I stand, he's more popular than ever; I'm the bitch that everyone hates. Are you interested in details, Veronica? Can I help enrich your fantasy life? He says 'baby' a lot when he touches you, his sheets are black-silk. His mood music is side two of the Rolling Stones' _Tattoo You_. He'll tear up when he tells you the story of his ex-wife leaving him. You'll turn to jelly."

Veronica looked at her, eyes cold. "Yeah, I have that same Sweet Valley High book. You said you spent the night with Mr. Rooks in a hotel on April 23rd; but there's a problem with that story, isn't there?"

"Why don't you tell me, it's obvious you're dying to."

"Alright! The problem with that story is that you were at an overnight track meet in Sacramento that weekend." Veronica revealed, as Carrie went silent. "You were part of the sixteen-hundred meter relay. People say you're _fast_."

_Pushing past the gaping girl, Veronica went inside Neptune High. Turning into the main hallway, she walked into Clemmons' office and waited for him to arrive._

_----------------------------------------------------------------_

_Walking out of the office she runs up to Casey, who is talking to Logan and Dick. _

"It's done. Thanks for your help Casey."

Logan's face fell a little at the ease which she could talk to Casey, all the while ignoring him. However, he snapped out of his funk when Dick's voice rang out.

"And I'm sure he appreciated you working on the _job_, Mars. Casey, tell me- is the product as good as the price--" the boy leered, before he was cut off by Logan.

"Dick. I told you, lay off Veronica." He said, a hand on the other boy's shoulder as he smiled at her.

Looking oddly at Logan, Casey responded. "No problem. Is Mr. Rooks going to be OK? Like 'still have a job' OK?"

"Yup," she replied. "Everything should go well for him. Logan, here's the sheet for Vankley's class today. I figured you would lose it."

"Aren't you the expert on _losing things_, Mars?" Dick jeered again.

This time, Logan tightened his grip on Dick's shoulder. "Dick. Last time- _leave her alone_. I don't want to have to tell you that again. Apologize to Veronica."

Looking at Logan like he had pulled out a set of bongos, Dick continued to speak. "Dude, what the hell? First the car, now this? Since when did you join the Veronica Mars fan club? After what she did to Duncan? To you? To Lil—"

Logan's fist smashed into Dick's stomach. "I told you- _punch_- to apologize- _punch_- to her!" After the surfer remained silent, he shoved him into the lockers; prepared to continue the fight. Realizing that he wasn't going to quit, Veronica stepped in just as he advanced again.

"Logan stop." Veronica said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I don't want his apology."

_The boy looked up hurt, remembering that she had said the same thing in regards to him earlier that year. Showing great restraint, he let go and stood; showing both his hands in front of him._

"Veronica didn't do anything to me, to any of us Dick. I'm the one who turned my back on a friend when they needed me. She didn't even think twice about helping me when I asked her to." Walking off, Logan said over his shoulder, "You should thank her for saving your ass."

Casey, who had watched the whole thing with shock; leaned over to help Dick up, "What the hell was that about?" he asked Veronica.

"Logan and I are trying to be friends again, Casey. He hoped you guys would go along with it, but he was wrong." She replied, then realized who she waws talking to. "Sorry, wrong about most of you. Better get him cleaned up. The cafeteria ladies will give you some ice, so he doesn't have to go to the clinic. See you later." Veronica walked away towards her first class.

_In the Life Skills classroom later that day. All the students are walking in the door. Dick walked up to Veronica, and glanced at Logan._

"SorryaboutwhatIsaidthismorning." As he started to shuffle away, Veronica stood there shocked.

"What? Dick, I can't understand what you just said." She looked back at Logan. "You shouldn't have shoved him into a locker. I think his jaw is swollen."

"I'm… sorry. It's cool that you helped out Logan and everything." Dick quickly walked back to his station.

Veronica turned to Logan, "It's nice to know he can follow like directions."

"Yes, he's a good flying monkey once he understands what's being asked." Logan said lightly.

Sighing, the girl looked at him harshly. "You can't just punch anyone who says something to me, Logan. The entire point of keeping this quiet is to ease them into the idea of the two of us."

Eyes softening, the boy met her gaze. "I'm sorry Ronnie. But if I can't touch you- the only thing I can do is defend you."

"You wouldn't have to defend me if you'd let me do that myself. I think that most people in Neptune would say that I'm not one to be reckoned with."

"Says the girl who's done nothing in the way of getting revenge on the guy who cheated on her." Logan dug, smirking.

Rolling her eyes, Veronica matched his smirk. "I have a plan. It's pretty ice queen. You know that dish best served cold? I've already gotthe ingredients, just waiting for the time."

_The two regarded each other cooly, each trying not to laugh. Logan's mouth began to twicth at the corners, and Veronica's eyes crinkled in amusement._

Wallace finally piped up. "So am I supposed to cover for the two of you? What are the duties of a best friend/ confidant?"

Veronica turned to him, taking out a bowl. "Logan, can you go get the eggs? Wallace, we're not actually hiding that much, just keeping the PDA out of it. Logan's already talked to Dick and the rest of the 09ers about leaving me alone. I think he's sort of easing them into the idea I'm important to him."

"Are you sure that you are? Important to him, I mean. How do you know that he's not on a rebound from the cheating thing?" Wallace asked quietly.

Logan came back with the eggs. "Dude, I'd have had to care about Caitlin in order to be on the rebound. And Veronica, I'm not easing all the 09ers into the idea, just the one that you wanted me to be cautious about."

"OK-now that we have that sorted out, let's get cooking. Do you guys know not to toss knives to each other after last time?" Veronica said, blushing at the fact he had snuck up on her.

_The three got to work, Wallace continuing to keep an eye on the boy that he wasn't sure if he could trust._

_------------------------------------------------------------------------_

_After school, Veronica was in the journalism room. She had just finished choosing which photos to use for an article on the lacrosse team's recent win when her cell phone rang. Glancing at the name, she picked up. _

"Allison Reynolds. Are you interested in purchasing a piece my bologna-art to help conserve the rainforest?"

Chuckling, Logan replied. "I'd have to be Emilio in order for this _Breakfast Club_ reference to work. And we both know that I'm closer to John Bender."

"Yes, but that would make me Molly Ringwald, which we both know I'm not. Pink is so not my color."

"Not anymore, but there was a time--"

Interrupting him, Veronica smiled. "Was there a reason for this call, or were you just interested in debating pop culture icons?"

"Yeah, what are you doing now?"

"I just finished up at newspaper. We're running it after hours since Clemmons moved us all to Vankley's class. Why?"

"What are you wearing?"

Sighing, Veronica picked up her bag and walked out of the room with a wave to the supervisor. "Is this going to be one of those heavy breathing calls? Because I'm still at school."

"No," the boy laughed. "I was wondering if you're in proper attire to come over to the pool and chill for a while. See, if I call you while I know you're still at school, there won't be a swimsuit- which highly increases my chances of seeing you naked and wet."

"Except for the little fact that I keep a duffle in my car full of clothes- including a suit." She parried. "I can be there in around twenty minutes. Just have to make sure Dad doesn't need me for a new case."


	10. Rules of Engagement

Chapter 10: Rules of Engagement

_Veronica and Logan sat on the edge of the pool, legs swaying in the water. The two were laughing and Logan was idly stroking her leg._

"You're kidding. The career aptitude test actually told you that you would make a good retail supervisor? Logan, you'd have people buy the ugliest clothes just to laugh at them!"

Loftily, he replied. "I'll have you know Ronnie, that I would indeed help people make the right fashion choices were I in the position. But the ladies dressing rooms might not have locks on them."

Giggling, Veronica shoved him with her side. "Perv."

"What, like you wouldn't put in a whole new security system to catch more shoplifters?  
Logan asked, sliding into the water. Positioning himself between her legs, he smiled wider when she put her arms on his shoulders. "You can be super nosy in retail. And if it was one of those boutique shops, you would know all your client's secrets."

"Further reason for you not to have that job. You're like a seventh grade girl when it comes to gossip."

His eyes narrowed and Logan threw her over his shoulder and flipped her unceremoniously into the water. "Take it back."

Sputtering, Veronica wiped her hair back. "Never." She splashed him, then ducked underwater and swam away.

Logan followed her, wrapping his arms around her waist when she came up for air. Pulling her close, he dipped his head to talk in her ear. "I am so not a seventh grade girl."

"The fact that you just used the term 'so not' proves my point." She laughed, turning in his arms to face him.

Logan's eyes darkened, and he snaked one of his hands behind her head. Kissing her soundly, he sighed as Veronica pushed against him as she reciprocated.

Pulling back slightly, she looked at him appraisingly. "What was that for?"

Logan rubbed her cheek as he looked at her. "I like your laugh. I've missed hearing it."

"I like being able to laugh." Veronica met his gaze and pecked his lips. "But I'm also hungry. You got any food in that big ol' house Mr. Retail Manager?"

Releasing her from his arms, Logan smirked. "I knew you were only here for the food. It's been a good two hours since you've eaten. You might wither away from starvation."

"Exactly." Veronica said, and walked out of the pool, water glistening off of her. Logan's eyes widened and he moved to where the water was deeper. Glancing over her shoulder, she called. "Are you coming? I'm not going to bring you a root beer outside."

Shaking himself free of the previous entrancement, Logan responded. "… Yeah. I'll be there in a minute."

Confused, she looked back. Realizing what was keeping him from leaving the pool, Veronica rolled her eyes. "You've seen me in a suit before. Is there still soda in the main fridge?"

"Don't mock me." The boy glared. "I haven't seen you in that _specific_ suit before. It's a little smaller than what you used to wear. And we're in a different definition, social-wise. Drinks are behind the bar in the living room."

The blonde continued on her walk towards the large building. She paused in the doorway, grabbing a towel. "Since it's partially my fault, I'll bring you that root beer."

He called out once more. "I'll meet you inside in five minutes. Stop being pert, or I won't tell you where the chips are kept."

_He walked into the kitchen and found her sitting on the counter with a Skist and potato chips. Reaching around her to grab a glass, he smiled down at her._

"I see you found the chips without my help, Sugarpuss."

Veronica nodded happily. "I do so enjoy the abundance of food-stuffs that your dad keeps around here. Are you felling… better?"

Glancing back at her face, which was covered in a shit-eating grin, Logan sighed as he went to grab a beer. "Yes. And I would appreciate it if you didn't knock my particular ability to do that. Not until you've had the proper experiences with me."

She stayed silent, looking into her glass and swirled the ice cubes around in it. Surprised by her lack of come-back, Logan turned back from the fridge. Walking back over to her, he tilted her face up to his.

"Hey." He said softly. "That wasn't a come-on. I'm not going to pressure you into anything, Ronnie."

"I know. But Logan? I'm not as… experienced as the girls you've dated. It's going to be longer than a week."

"And the girls I've dated haven't turned out to be very good to me." He replied, rubbing her cheek. "Honest- we won't do anything you're not ready for."

She nodded, then jumped off the counter and put her glass down. "I'm going to go get changed. It's getting close to dinner."

_Watching her as she went and grabbed her clothes and then went upstairs to the bathroom, Logan ran a hand through his wet hair. He knew Veronica wasn't the kind of girl that did the things he had spread rumors of. But this was the first time that he actually saw the old, vulnerable side of her. Despite her prickly demeanor, he realized that she was still unconfident about sex. Being in a relationship with her was going to be different- he knew that. And as hard as it was going to be, he knew he wasn't going to push._

His thoughts were interrupted by Veronica coming back down the stairs and dropping her bag back on the floor. Looking him dead in the eyes, she stated: "We need to set some ground rules."

There was the take-charge Veronica he had grown accustomed to. "Ground rules?" Logan asked, joining her in the living room.

"Yes. Ground rules. As in 'things to set straight before this goes any further'. I didn't set them with Troy, and he broke the first one."

"The 'don't be an asshat' rule?" Logan joked, sitting on one of the large chairs.

She sat on the couch, facing him. "No. The one about cheating. If you are unfaithful to me, I will leave you and walk away without one look back. Ever."

His jaw dropped, and she put up a hand to silence him. "I'm saying that you ever would. Logan, I've observed you in plenty of relationships. Despite the on again-off again thing you had with Lilly, you're a serial monogamist. So rule number one seems highly unlikely to be broken.

"Second, you will at least be cordial to my friends. I can promise you the same. Dick and I are unlikely to throw you a birthday party together, but I'm not going to throw a drink on him. If you could try harder not to punch Weevil, I think that would be enough.

"Third, the cases I take- what I do. I'm not going to stop doing them, it doesn't matter if you want me to or not. They're a part of me, and don't ask me to give them up.

"Last, realize that I've changed. I'm not the same Veronica that you were friends with. If she's the person you want to date, you're SOL."

Sitting back, she looked at him appraisingly. "That's it. Those are the things that needed to be said. If any of those are a problem, tell me now and we can go back to working on friendship alone."

Head reeling from her checklist, Logan shook his head slightly. "You're not going anywhere, Mars. Just… give me a second to get my thoughts together." She nodded quickly and focused on her fingernails.

"Alright." He said, leaning forward. "Fine. The things you just listed? They're good. But there are some things you need to know."

Observing her wary eyes, Logan began. "Veronica, I want you. All of you. And that includes the cotton candy girl you used to be. You're still that girl, Ronnie- she just grew a backbone. And got hot." He smirked slightly, then continued.

"Weevil and I are not going to become best buddies. I don't like him, he doesn't like me. But restraint will be shown on my part. I'm not asking you to give up anything. Not the cases, not your friends. You're right about the cheating, though. I've never cheated, never will. And the argument goes the same way. If you cheat, I won't look back. It'll kill me, but I won't look back.

"It's obvious that neither of us has had the best luck with relationships. I think the only thing we can do is try with us. I don't have any demands for you. Nothing about you or what you've done makes me not trust you. I can only hope that you feel the same way."

He rose from the chair and crouched in front of her. "Now that we've had that strange, but necessary talk; how much time do you have before your dad sends swat to find you?"

Veronica smiled softly. "About forty minutes. Any idea on what we could do to occupy that time?"

"I may have a few ideas." Logan said, resting his forehead against hers before he met her lips.


	11. Under Duress

**Chapter 11: Under Duress **

Three days later, the two were not able to see each other in school until Life Skills. Logan laughed when Veronica walked in.

"Nice shirt, Ronnie. It's a little concealing for my taste, but--"

Glaring, the blonde replied. "If _someone_ hadn't given me a row of hickeys along my collarbone the other night, I might be wearing something slightly more lowcut."

"Heyheyhey!" Wallace said, holding up his hands. "I thought we talked about this. There will be no talk of hickeys while I'm around. As far as I'm concerned, Veronica doesn't have a neck. She's just this angry blob that happens to be female. Nooooothing sexy about her that would make someone give her hickeys."

The duo laughed, but agreed to keep it quiet. Wallace received a glare when he commented that they really weren't doing a good job in hiding anything. The constant flirtations were getting to be more frequent, and people were starting to notice.

……………………………………………..

_Later in the class, Mrs. Vankley came up to the station._

"Veronica, we're out of a few things. Do you think that you could take one or two people with you and run to the supply pantry in the cafeteria? It's all in bulk there, so you'll need some spare hands. One of you needs to stay in the kitchen, but I really think that it would take one trip with three people."

Logan looked up. "I'll go with her."

Mrs. Vankley sighed. "Alright, but don't take Mr. Casablancas. He doesn't look like he can lift much. Would you know how that happened? No, I didn't think so." She walked to another station to show another student how to use the stove controls.

"Hey Casey!" Logan called. "Wanna help us raid the cafeteria?"

"Sure Logan. Oh, is Veronica coming with?" the other boy said, coming over.

"Yeah, let's go." The blonde said, picking up the list of items needed.

_On the way to the cafeteria, Casey was silent. At the door to the storage room, he stopped the other two._

"Are you two going out?" he asked point-blank. Veronica and Logan looked at him incredulously.

"I'm just asking because only a boyfriend would beat up someone who didn't apologize to his girlfriend. Not to mention, you guys seem closer than usual."

Glancing up at Logan, Veronica answered. "Look Casey, um; yeah. We're sort of testing out how we feel about each other."

"But could you not say anything?" Logan looked at Casey. "We both agree that Duncan needs to be told before anything goes public."

Casey nodded. "Sure, I can do that. But you know this isn't going to go over that well. Maybe you should tell Dick in private, so he doesn't do something he'll regret when he sees you guys walking hand in hand down the hall."

Logan ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that would probably be best. We'll tell him after Duncan. Anything else?"

Casey smirked. "Yeah, can you tell me what day you guys are coming out? I want to have a good view of Madison's face when she finds out."

All three laughed, picturing the beauty queen having a fit.

"OK boys, let's grab this stuff and get back to class. Maybe Dick actually set a fire himself this time." Veronica said, walking into the pantry.

……………………………………………..

While she was pointing out things, Casey talked to Logan in a low voice. "Dude, don't screw this up. If you hurt her, it won't be good. There aren't many people in Neptune who care about her, but the ones who do would kill for her."

Blinking, Logan realized that Veronica and Casey were closer than he had originally thought. "And you're one of them?"

"Yes, along with her dad, Wallace, a deputy at the sheriff's department in addition to the large number of outlaws on bikes that already hate you." The other boy nodded.

Logan chuckled. "You know that you're the second person who's found out about this. And both of you have said something to that effect. Why do you guys assume that I'm going to fuck this up?"

Looking him in the eye, Casey replied strongly. "Because you tend to screw these things up, Logan. And if push comes to shove, we'll side with her."

……………………………………………..

Veronica had walked up behind the two boys during their conversation. Surprising them, she piped up. "Casey, how sweet. But you've made a good point. Logan, there are a few other people I need to tell about this before we go public. And I haven't even talked to my dad since he got into town this morning. Your dad should know too."

She sighed. "Crap. We didn't factor in this many problems. I didn't know it would affect so many people. How bad is it that there are so many other people involved that we didn't even think of our parents?"

Logan came over to her, rubbing her arms. "Ronnie, we need to do this. Sure, we can tell all those people- wow, the conversation with Dad is not one I'm looking forward to- but the important thing is that you and I see each other. We've lost too many people. I can't lose you."

Veronica smiled. "You're such a girl. Come on, I got everything into five boxes. You two get to double up."

_Picking up the boxes, the three walked out laughing._

……………………………………………..

Casey came up to Veronica when Logan left to use the bathroom.

"Hey, so… you and Logan. It's a little twisted."

Sighing Veronica responded while she checked the chicken in the oven. "I know, Casey. Really- neither one of us expected it."

"You're sure about this?"

"Yes." She replied, standing straight. Although her voice was low, the boy could tell she was getting exasperated. "I'm happy when I'm with him. And it's a little annoying Wallace keeps questioning it. Don't you start too."

Holding up his hands in surrender, Casey stepped back. "I'm not questioning it. Just don't want you to regret anything. His track record isn't that great, and I'm a little protective of you."

"You and every other guy in my life." She grumbled. "I'm a big girl, Casey. And face it- my record isn't spotless. Duncan broke up with me without a word, I dated Leo to use him for access to the evidence room, and Troy cheated on me."

"Only one of those shows that you're bad in relationships. And long run-wise? You using the good deputy for the greater good isn't really a 'bad' one either. But Logan- that list is a lot longer than your three."

Nodding, the blonde responded. "Yes. And no. Are you counting relationships or casual hook-ups? Relationship-wise, he's even with me- if we're even counting Caitlin."

"Since you brought that point up, Logan isn't a relationship kind of guy. You're a relationship kind of girl. Have you even thought about what Logan's usual train of thought is when considering the fairer sex? The guy hasn't exactly shown respect for girls, especially you."

Glaring at him, Veronica's eyes got cold. "Casey, you want to be very careful here. Do not say something you're going to regret. Because he makes me happy, and you know how much I need that right now."

"And what is it _he_ needs right now?" the boy questioned. "I want you to be happy, 'Ronica. But I also want you to be careful."

"Seriously- why is it that you and Wallace say that you're afraid for Troy and my revenge plans, then turn around and worry about my well-being?" she asked, throwing up her hands. "Pick one of them Casey. I can either take care of myself or I can't. And I can think of a few examples to prove the first choice wrong."

Defending himself, Casey touched her shoulder. "Oh, I don't doubt it. There's no question that you can take care of yourself. It just that you and Logan are going to be a bit more difficult than Leo and Duncan. Are you prepared for that?"

"Yes. And that's the end of this line of conversation." Veronica stated firmly. "You've voiced your concerns and I listened. One of these days, I'm going to get fed up with this protective nonsense the three of you have over me. I already have Dad for that."

"When are you going to tell Weevil?" he asked, changing the subject from Logan to the biker's reaction over Neptune's newest couple.

"After school." Veronica sighed. "And I doubt it's going to go well."

Casey nodded in agreement. "He's way worse than me. Plus, he already hates Logan."

Shaking her head, Veronica rubbed her neck. "I know. I can't think of any way to break it to him slowly, he gets mad when I bring Logan up in a conversation. He blames him for a lot of Lilly's issues. I'm only hoping he doesn't beat the crap out of my boyfriend before we even go public."

"Tell him the truth, don't ease him into it." Casey suggested. "Then promise that he can beat the crap out of Logan if the jackass breaks your heart."

She smiled slightly, then her grin widened when she saw that Logan had returned. Casey noticed and glanced at the boy as he came over. As he observed the two interact with each other, Casey left their station with a parting statement: _Treat her right_.


	12. Confessions Are Good for the Soul I

**Chapter 10: Confessions are Good for the Soul Part I**

_After school, Wallace comes up to Veronica at her car. _

"Superfly, _what_ did the two of you do to Caitlin Ford's scooter-thingy? She drove that thing out of the parking lot and was back her twenty minutes later crying that it wouldn't work. Maintenance went to go get it, but the stupid thing started right up for them!"

Veronica put on her innocent face and began babbling. "Oh my God! It wouldn't work? How awful for her! How did she get back, was it a long walk? I wonder what's wrong with her Vespa!"

Wallace simply looked at the blonde, who quickly changed demeanors. "OK, we just put a ping-pong ball in her gas tank. As she uses gas, the siphon will pull the ball to clog the hole. When she stops, it floats back to the top. Also, there are some creative words written in glow-in-the-dark paint."

……………………………………………..

Weevil came up next to the pair. "What she's not telling you is that I gave her the idea. I'm still mad at that girl for framing my abeula."

Veronica observed Logan, Casey and Dick coming through the parking lot. "Yeah, thanks Weevil. Hey- can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure V. What's up?" the biker asked, walking over to his bike.

"You're not going to like what I'm about to tell you, but could you keep it down when you get mad? There are people around who aren't going to be pleased with the news if they hear about it from me."

Weevil removed his sunglasses. "Alright. What is this thing that's supposed to make me so mad?"

Veronica took a deep breath. "I'm sort-of seeing your last favorite person in the world."

"You're dating the sheriff? Does your dad know?" Weevil asked confusedly.

Rolling her eyes, Veronica took a breath before spitting out the news. "Ew. No, I'm dating Logan."

Weevil's eyebrows immediately lowered into a glare. "I'm sorry, what was that? Did you fall, hit your head and suddenly not remember everything he's done to you? V, he beat up your car!"

"No- he beat up my car. I knew he wasn't going to touch me. And he paid for the damages. Weevil, he also saved me from a rogue ATF agent! Weigh it out: car… life? I didn't expect you to take this well, but you need to hear this. He gets me." Weevil looked at her skeptically. "He understands why I do half of the blank stares, we both went through it. We both lost her. And you did too, which is why I hope that you understand this."

"V, I'm not happy about this at all. Did you ever wonder _why_ Lilly came to me? _Why_ she cheated on him so many times?"

"Lilly did that because she was Lilly and could get away with it." Veronica said coldly, glaring at the biker. "She was my best friend, and even I told her she treated him like crap. It has nothing to do with Logan, except that he got jealous after the first few times.

"I'm not going to cheat on him, Weevil. And I hope you appreciate the fact that I told you all this, instead of you finding out one day when we walked down the hall together."

Sighing, the biker pulled out his keys. "Nice to know that the second you get to have your old life back you sprint towards it." He turned to get on his bike, but Veronica grabbed his shoulder and turned him back around.

"Hello, do you not remember Troy? My previous, and I hesitate to use this word, boyfriend? He's an 09er- or was until this latest escapade. Did I stop talking to you? Start sitting back at that table full of people who still hate me? Stop doing what I do to go hang out at a yacht party? No. So don't even try to say that I'm running back to that life. I don't want it anymore."

Snorting, Weevil spoke, "You don't want it anymore, but you want him. Their leader. You think you can go back so easy? Just stroll up to the castle and be accepted?"

"No, and I don't want to!" Veronica was exhausted by this conversation. "Weevil, I told you this as a friend. I haven't even brought up all the times I've helped you, especially when it meant hurting him. There's a past- Logan and I are going to be complicated, we both know that."

"I don't like this, V. Echolls is nothing but trouble, he'll only end up hurting you."

Scoffing, Veronica's eyes held his. "Weevil, when's the last time I let someone hurt me? I already went over the Veronica Mars ground rules with him. He knows what's OK and what's not."

Getting on the motorcycle, Weevil said his parting words: "If he breaks your heart, you can't stop me from hurting him."

Smiling a little as he gunned the engine, she answered him as she stepped back. "I would be offended if you didn't."

_Across the parking lot, Logan and Casey were inviting Dick over to Logan's to 'play video games' that evening. In reality, Veronica was going to be there instead of Casey. The three had decided that it would be best for the two of them to inform Dick outside of school grounds._

Veronica was at Mars Investigations. She walked into her dad's office and sat in front of him at the desk.

"Dad, Troy and I broke up."

Keith looked at is daughter and noted the absence of tears. Remembering how Veronica hadn't seemed to be in love with the boy, he assumed that parting ways was her decision. "Honey, I never liked him. Why did you break up with him?"

Taking a deep breath, Veronica decided to give her dad the truth. "He cheated on me. With Logan's flavor-of-the-month."

Fire in his eyes, Keith Mars reached for the phone. Veronica clapped her hand on top of his, stopping him from making the call to a felon who owed her dad a favor.

"Dad, don't call Tom. I'm taking care of it. He just has to slip up. I need to talk to you about something else."

"Veronica, I wasn't going to call Tom." The balding man smiled. "I was going to call the sheriff's department and give an anonymous tip that Troy had killed a man in Reno just to watch him die. What's the other thing you wanted to talk about?"

"I'm seeing Logan now." Veronica said quickly. "Daddy, honest- he and I have been getting closer since his mom jumped, and the whole Ben thing. We're not sure if it's serious, but I wanted you to know."

Keith sat back in his chair and rubbed his temples. "Veronica, Logan Echolls is not the kind of boy any father dreams of his daughter dating."

She kept eye contact with him. "He's been through what I've been through. We've known each other for years. Logan has, as of late- been a support system for me, and I've been one for him. How is that not what a father wants for his daughter?"

"You should also know that Wallace, Casey and Weevil have all threatened to kill him if he hurts me. There's a waiting list, but I think that fathers are allowed cut to the front of that line. Especially if they have guns." She smiled.

Looking at his daughter, Keith realized that she was acting responsible when it came to this. While he supposed the good argument came out of the three previous ones she mentioned, the points hit home.

"Alright. But you're going to tell me if anything goes wrong right?"

"What happened to self-reliance?" Veronica asked wickedly, getting up from her chair.

He looked at her thoughtfully. "I know that you like to care of things yourself. But can you at least give me a heads-up if the two of you commit a felony?"

"I'll call you while we do it. And on this 'self-reliance' note, Logan's outside. We're going together to tell Duncan." She walked out of the office, glad the encounter had gone well.

_Logan and Veronica had decided to show up together at the Kane house, partially to show a united front; but really because neither was sure if Veronica would be let on the grounds by herself. If Celeste had been home, the answer would definitely have been negative._

_Parking in front of the mansion, the two looked at each other before ringing the doorbell._

"Ready?" he asked.

"Let's get this over with." Veronica sighed, pressing the doorbell.


	13. Confessions Are Good for the Soul II

**Chapter 11: Confessions are Good for the Soul II**

_Duncan answered the door, and seeing Logan opened it wide._

"Dude, why did you beat up Dick the other day? He wouldn't tell me."

_When he spotted Veronica standing next to his best friend, the boy's face actually paled._

"What's going on? Did something happen? Are you both alright?"

Walking in the door, Logan began. "Everything's fine DK. I just need to talk to you about something. Can we go to the living room?"

"Su…Sure, I guess. What's this about Logan?" the boy said, leading the way.

Veronica sat down on the couch, Logan joining her. The two were next to each other, but not touching.

"Duncan, we're here to tell you something. Now, please appreciate that we came to you before this got out publicly." Veronica said slowly. "Logan and I are seeing each other."

Duncan's eyes grew wide. "What the hell?" he whispered. "You're kidding me. This has to be a joke. My best friend and my ex?"

"Also, your sister's best friend and her ex." Logan put in. "It's not a joke Duncan. Veronica's my girlfriend."

The other boy exploded at him. "WHAT THE HELL? You've made a game of creating problems for her!" Turning his attention towards Veronica, he continued. "And you. You're dating him? After what you did to us? To me?"

Veronica stood up, seething. "And just what have I done to _you_ Duncan? Did I break up with you without an explanation? Did I refuse to look at you at Lilly's funeral? Did I stand idly by while the rest of my friends made the person I claimed to love cry? No! That was you, Duncan!"

Logan stood and went to Duncan. "Look man, we just came to give you a head's up. We're not going public with this until next week, but we came to tell you first. Do you really think that we don't care about you?"

The other boy laughed out loud. "Care about me? How long has this… unnatural _thing_ between the two of you been going on?"

"One week, Duncan. We only started this last week." Veronica said. "And don't call it unnatural. There's nothing wrong with the two of us finding solace in each other. We understand what the other has been through because we lived it too. This is happening whether you approve or not, but we both felt you should know first."

"This is wrong on so many levels. The two of you hate each other." Duncan continued in disbelief.

"Hate is just misdirected passion." Logan volleyed. Veronica closed her eyes, knowing that his wit was not a good idea.

His face remaining in a calm mask, the Kane heir shot out a fist landing solidly on Logan's jaw. Veronica winced visibly, but stayed back when Logan shook his head at her. Coolly, he responded to the other boy while rubbing his chin. "Duncan, I know this is hard to grasp. Hell, the two of us were surprised when it happened. And I'm not going to lie to you and say this doesn't change anything. But I want to be friends with you man, don't shut me out."

"I'm not shutting you out Logan. This just doesn't make any sense." Duncan sullenly replied. "The two of you weren't even close when the four of us were together."

Piping up, Veronica nodded. "Duncan, I'm not denying that fact. Logan and I almost never spent time together when it was the four of us. But you shut down after Lilly's death. Is it so weird for us to have bonded through that ordeal?"

"Bonded?" the Kane heir asked, "You've freakin' _bonded_? It's nice to know that my sister's death was such a great experience for the two of you. Christ, the two of you should have 'bonded' years ago. Why even bother with dating me and Lilly?"

"_You_ dumped _her_! Stop playing the broken hearted girl for a minute and remember that." Logan spat. "And you didn't even have the balls to tell her. Left Ronnie to figure it out when you went incommunicado after two years of fairy tale bliss."

"Logan, stop." Veronica said, putting a hand on his arm to silence him. "Duncan, really- this isn't something we came up with to hurt you."

Without looking over at her, Duncan repeated. "You hate each other."

"We never hated each other." Logan said, speaking slowly. "There were- are- issues between us. But we're working on them."

"Working on them, or working on each other?" the boy laughed softly. "How do you think Lilly would feel about the two of you 'working things out'?"

Veronica had gone back to the couch and started to sit down, glaring at the two boys. She was still fuming from her confrontation with her ex-boyfriend. At the last remark, she flew back up.

"Don't even try to play that card." The blonde said sharply. "I think we all know that Lilly loved nothing more than a scandal. And me and Logan? We're going to be a scandal. Lilly would have been in heaven, making jokes and creating embarrassing situations. She would have been fine with this, and if you took your head out of your ass and showed some genuine emotion, you'd realize that."

Walking back to Veronica, Logan turned his back on his friend. "I hope you can see the point man. We're going to see each other whether you agree with it or not. I just hope that you're still my best friend."

Observing the way that Veronica checked over Logan, the other boy couldn't help but see that there was nothing he could do. Duncan Kane simply sat down on the sofa and put his head between his hands. "I don't know, Logan. I can't stop this, but I'm not going to act like I'm all for it. Don't expect me to run up and congratulate the two of you at school next week. But I'm not going to start a rebellion against it. You both know the way out."

_The two left the Kane house in silence. After closing the door behind them, both leaned against the stone wall._

"Well that went well." Veronica said.

"Did you have to go off on him like that?" Logan asked.

"Me?" she asked incredulously. "What was that 'misdirected passion' comment? You didn't exactly show restraint in your infamous wit."

Rubbing his temples, Logan acquiesced. "True. But DK goaded me. He hardly spoke four words to you."

She looked at him, seething. "Logan, I didn't expect him to blame me for what happened. He's never done that before. I needed to confront him for the shit he's put me through."

The boy looked back at her, eyes meeting. "I didn't expect him to do that. Blame you, you mean. But I thought you were over that."

Veronica got off the wall and dusted off her pants. "Whatever. Tell you what, Logan. Next time it can be you who unknowingly makes one decision that alienates you from everything you knew your life to be. Then tell me what you feel the appropriate time span is to fully move on." She walked away from him.

_Logan stood in shock, watching her walk angrily past his car and down the drive way. Running after her, he called out._

"Why are you being like this? You know he hasn't been the same. I thought you were prepared for what happened in there!"

Veronica spun around, and threw up her hands. "Logan, you made me like this! How am I supposed to believe you when the second I start to trust you again, you let your friends dictate what matters?"

The next second, Logan grabbed Veronica, pulling her towards him. His mouth was crashing on hers, the heat between the two scorching. Placing one hand on her back and the other lifting her ass, Logan spun around and propelled the two of them towards his car, pressing Veronica against it.

Veronica pushed against him, still angry from the confrontation. Grabbing her hands, Logan held them above her head and continued his show of affection.

Breathing haggardly he met her gaze, eyes full of fire. "Don't you get it Ronnie? You're what matters to me."

Eyes glazed from the kiss, she answered him. "Logan, he hasn't spoken five sentences to me that weren't school related. I haven't had the chance to call him on it in almost a year."

Looking down at her, foreheads touching; Logan sighed. "I know. And it isn't fair for me to be mad at you for that. But you need to work on your timing, Mars. Come on, let's go tell my dad."

Leaning forward to peck his lips again, Veronica nodded. "OK. I'll try not to demand my money back for _Beyond the Breaking Point_. You'll be impressed with my restraint." She opened the passengers' door and climbed into the car.

Logan laughed and walked around to the other door. "This should go much better. He's always liked you. Can't figure out why."

Veronica gasped. "Logan, you better find some redeeming qualities for me! We still have to break the news to Dick. Can I at least yell at _him_ if he insults me?"

"To your heart's content, Sugarpuss. Go for it." Logan smiled as he started the car.


	14. Dominance in the Animal Kingdom

**Chapter 12: Dominance in the Animal Kingdom**

_Aaron had indeed been fine with the new couple. In fact, he had gone a step further and lectured Logan about gentlemanly behavior for a good ten minutes while Veronica stood behind him; tears of laughter streaming down her face._

_Dick arrived next, immediately going to the video games. When he saw Veronica, the blonde surfer stopped in his tracks._

"What is she doing here? Pool boy stealing from you again, Dude?"

"Hello Dick." Veronica said coolly. "How are the ribs? The jaw? Anywhere else Logan bruised the last time you insulted me?"

Logan stepped forward. "Dick man, there's something you need to know."

"What, that Veronica Mars is stalking you?"

"No, that Veronica Mars is dating me."

Freezing, Dick said slowly, "What the hell?" and his eyes darted between the two.

Letting out a scoff, Logan replied. "That does seem to be the reaction we've gotten so far."

Confusion grew over the other boy's face. "I don't understand."

Veronica opened her mouth for a scathing remark, but Logan walked over to her and slipped his hand into hers.

"Dick, you know that Veronica and I stopped hating each other. This is just a step up from that." Logan said, looking down at his new girlfriend.

"Is that why you told me I had to be nice to her?"

"No Dick. That was simple decency towards a friend whom I had recently gotten reacquainted with. I expect it to continue."

"But Logan, she put a bong in your locker! And screwed up my car!"

Veronica cut in, "Find the proof, Dick."

Glancing at her reprovingly, Logan returned to his conversation with his friend. "And I put it behind me. Just like she's let go of what I've done. I can only hope that you're going to do the same."

His eyes narrowing, Logan continued. "But understand something, Dick. We're going to keep seeing each other whether you want it to or not. I know Veronica's not your favorite person- and you're defiantly not hers. However she's agreed to at least _tolerate_ you, because you're my friend. But if you can't do that, then it won't matter anymore."

Still not believing what he was hearing, Dick asked "Logan, man- whatever happened to 'bro's over ho's'?"

"Dude, I never agreed to that. In fact, I don't think that's a conversation I've ever had with you." Logan replied, lightheartedly. "Veronica cancels it out, anyway. Get used to it."

"Does Duncan know? Because you do remember how he's been all moody. This would push him over the edge." Dick tried to play the Duncan card as a last resort.

Veronica finally spoke up. "Duncan knows, Dick. He was one of the first people we told. And he didn't go over the edge. He's not thrilled, obviously- but he's trying to accept it. The least you can do is make the same effort. Logan wanted to tell you because you're his friend- I hope that means something to you."

Walking over to the couple, Dick put a hand on Logan's shoulder.

"Will we still go surfing?"

Laughing at the childishness of the question, Logan answered. "Yes Dick, there will still be time for us to go surfing, or play video games. Just not today."

"Man, it doesn't look like I have a choice. She's got her hooks into you real bad." The boy replied, shaking his head.

"Thanks man. That's it. That's all I wanted to tell you. Does this mean you're not going to make a scene when Veronica and I tell the rest of Neptune next Monday? Or tell anyone until then?"

"Yeah, whatever." The surfer turned to walk out of the house. Stopping in his tracks, he froze as a thought entered his mind. "Dude- Madison's gonna shit a brick."

Both Veronica and Logan laughed heartily. "We know. Casey wants us to call before we walk into school so he gets a good seat. You want one too?"

Looking aghast, Dick turned around to face them. "Are you kidding? I don't want to be anywhere near her when she goes off. You're to blame if Dick Jr. doesn't get any lovin' for a while."

Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Veronica just said: "Go home Dick."

_After the he left, Logan picked Veronica up and spun her around._

"It's done. No more people to tell. _Now_ can make out?" he pleaded.

Veronica smiled, and leaned in to kiss him. Pulling away right before contact, she grinned wider. "After we figure out how we're going to inform the masses."

Groaning, Logan flopped on the couch. "Why don't we just have sex in the hall? They'd get the message pretty clear."

"No. But you walking me to class holding hands might do the trick." Veronica said, falling into his lap.

"Wait, why can't you walk me to class?"

She sighed. "Because Logan. In order for this… _us_ to be accepted, you're the one who needs to be seen giving an effort. It's like a monkey tribe. If a dominant monkey is seen favoring a lesser monkey, the union won't be contested. If the lower-down monkey shows attention to a dominant one, the tribe revolts and kicks the loser monkey out. Most likely to starve to death."

Logan wrapped his arms around her. "Did you just say that I'm the dominant one? Because for Duncan's ex; that's a little S&M."

Veronica stiffened. "OK, you need to stop doing that."

"What, making sex jokes? Because that's so not going to happen." The tall boy said, nuzzling her neck.

"No Logan. Stop referring to me as Duncan's ex. It needs to be just us, no Duncan, in this relationship. We'll get enough talk about our prospective pasts at school."

"He's a part of your past, just like Lilly's part of mine. Just because we've moved on doesn't mean they've disappeared. But I will try to lay off the Duncan comments."

"Thank you. I noticed you gave no objection to my monkey metaphor." She said, resting into his arms again.

Entwining their fingers, Logan replied. "That's because it was a good analogy. Can you think of anyone else we need to inform of this before Monday? Casey said something about a deputy at the sheriff's department. I thought Lamb instated posters of your face telling everyone Veronica Mars is not to be allowed in."

Slowly, Veronica answered. She knew this wasn't a great topic for Logan. "I used to date Leo D'Amato, the newest Deputy on the force. We keep in touch, but I broke things off relationship-wise."

It was Logan's turn to tense. "Casey said he and you were friends. That the guy would kill for you."

Repositioning herself in his lap, Veronica faced him. "He didn't lie. Leo and I keep in touch. He's done me a favor or two. But it's over between the two of us. He doesn't know my past; understand what I've been through. I'd tear him up."

Chuckling, Logan relaxed. "It astonishes me that even after you broke up with him, the guy will still do you favors. Something about you, Ronnie. Men will sacrifice their own feelings, just to have some part of your life."

"What can I say? The blonde hair brings out the protective part in them." She smiled; glad he had taken it so well. "Now that that's over, teach me more about this 'making out' idea you had earlier."

_The two were still kissing on the couch when they heard a cough from the kitchen. It was Aaron, looking quite embarrassed._

"Sorry to interrupt." He said. "I was just going out. Veronica, here's the number you wanted."

Blushing furiously, she rolled of the couch. "Thanks Mr. Echolls." Taking the slip of paper from her hand, Veronica logged the number into her cell phone.

Aaron continued to dart his eyes, looking for something to rest his eyes on. Anything but his son's new girlfriend. "Right. Um… I'm going to be late for glassblowing. If you two want anything, there's food in the kitchen. We have blue corn tortilla chips, they're quite good--"

"We got it Dad." Logan said, resting his head in his hands. "Thanks."

Aaron turned around and left the room as fast as he could. Veronica returned to the couch, but sat as far away from Logan as possible.

"Oh my god." Logan sighed, smacking his forehead. "Tell me I didn't just get caught making out on the couch by my dad."

"You got caught by your dad." Veronica interjected. "I got caught by the star of _Breaking Point _and _Beyond the Breaking Point_."

"Who came down here to give you a phone number. Are you going into acting? Because that's kind of a deal breaker."

Smirking, Veronica answered him evilly. "No acting. The number is for a totally different purpose. Did you really think I'd let you win our revenge competition? Look forward to this one, Logan. It's one I know you'll appreciate."


	15. Walk Through the Fire

**Chapter 13: Walk Through the Fire**

Logan walked over to Veronica's car on Monday, smiling as she rolled down the window. The two had stayed together for most of the weekend, watching movies at his house. Try as he might, the boy still hadn't figured out what Veronica was planning for Troy; all the she would say was that it was going to take a while for all the pieces to be put together. And that he would like it. Aaron had refused to tell his son what phone number he had given her, laughing as he told him it was one of the more ingenious things he had heard of.

Looking down at the blonde girl in front of him, Logan asked: "Ready?"

"We can get going as soon as you move away from my car door." The blonde said grumpily. "Judgment Day has come. Care to place a wager on how many people faint?"

Chuckling, the boy looked down at her. "Not fainting, but I'll put a dinner date on the two of us having sex in that girl's bathroom you call an office say, four months ago?"

"I'll see your wager, and raise you a standing appointment in my day book for the last eight months in the locker room showers." Smiling, she gestured to him. "Are you going to let me out? Neither of us will win if I'm stuck in my car."

"You're pissy this morning." Logan noticed, pulling out a coffee from behind his back as he stepped away. "Would this make it better?"

Opening her door, Veronica smiled. "That's why I'm with you Echolls. You encourage my addiction."

Slinging a bag over her shoulder, the blonde got up on her toes and gave him a kiss. Grabbing the drink with one hand, she took his hand in the other. As she leaned in for another, Logan shook his head.

"None of that, Ronnie. We need to call Casey and walk through the fiery pits that the administration dubs a school."

"Fine." Veronica said. "Hey- I can throw your coffee at Madison if she comes at me with mace."

Hanging up his phone, Logan tucked her hair behind an ear. "Sure, Sugarpuss. Let's go."

_As the two walked through the front doors of Neptune High, it took a little bit for people to notice that they were hand in hand. Whispers rippled down the hall like a wave, the news traveling fast. _

_Casey caught Veronica's eye and gave Logan a head jerk in greeting. He then tilted his head to the left, showing the two where Madison was standing openmouthed, her face turning purple. Next to her was John Enbom, who walked up to Logan in the hall, leaning to his ear._

"Dude, what the hell are you doing? Please tell me this is some new reality show called _My Skank_."

Sliding his hand around Veronica's waist, Logan's eyes grew cold. "Move Enbom."

"What?" the other boy asked, his forehead wrinkling in puzzlement.

"Get out of my face." Logan said softly, his glare hard. "If you have a problem with Veronica than beat it. Actually, if you have a problem with Veronica you're pretty much dead to me; so why don't you go- I don't know- evaporate or something."

Turning to face the whole hall, Logan raised his voice. "That's kind of a general invitation. If you don't like my girlfriend, then I don't want anything to do with you."

_Heads snapped back to whatever tasks onlookers had been doing before the couple had walked in. At the end of the hall, Veronica saw Duncan turn and walk around the corner, heading towards his first class. Before she could say anything to Logan, the taller boy leaned down and kissed her._

"Better?" he whispered, looking gently into her eyes. "Now that we're out in the open, are you more sure about this?"

Smiling cautiously, she got on her toes to kiss him back. "Yes. We should go to class now. That little showing took up some time. I don't want you to be late after walking me. Knowledge is power and all that."

Laughing, Casey came up to the pair. "Five minutes in the public, and you're already setting him under your thumb. Nice, Mars." He said, shaking Logan's hand. "Congratulations, Madison didn't mace you."

"No, and Logan had conveniently bought me this coffee to throw in her face if she tried!" Veronica pouted. "I was hoping to use it. Damn."

"Yes, and we were just leaving. I have to walk my girl to class." Logan said, putting his hand once again in hers. "There may be others coming to accost us, so excuse the impolite goodbye. See you in class, Casey."

As the two walked away, Veronica's voice could still be heard. "_Your_ girl? Logan, I totally own you. If anything you're _my_ guy…"

_In a classroom. Math equations can be seen on the chalkboard. Students surrounding Veronica glanced over every few seconds while whispering to each other or on cell phones. Meg leaned over and began talking to Veronica._

"Look, it's not that I'm against you and Logan dating, it just stings a little that you didn't give me any warning." The cheerleader said.

Veronica's mouth opened into an 'O'. "Oh Meg. I'm sorry, but we really only told three or four people besides our parents. Casey guessed, so we came clean to him. And I was honestly in the state of mind that those people only needed to find out beforehand so they wouldn't make a scene."

Nodding, Meg smiled. "I can understand that. Plus, you have so many guy friends; I guess they're protective of you and stuff. It makes sense to tell them. But next time you're coming out with a scandal- think of the friends who are girls. We're the ones who are supposed to gossip."

"Deal Meg. Next time when I do something that undermines the social hierarchy of Neptune High, I'll give you a heads up." The tiny girl laughed. "Speaking of gossip how many rumors have you heard so far? Logan and I have a bet going."

Widening her grin, Meg began speaking fast. "Apparently, three different freshmen walked in on the two of you making out in the girl's bathroom a month ago. Also, you have apparently been having secret rendezvous for years, even while you and Duncan were still together. Umm…" she drawled, looking at her cell phone. "Just now I have been informed via text that you are making passionate love at this very moment to Logan in the teacher's lounge. You're a woman of many talents, Veronica."

"Really?" Veronica said, raising her eyebrows. "I hope Logan doesn't hear about that one. He'd probably bolt out of class and run to the lounge, hoping I'd started it."

_The teacher coughed loudly at the two girls as they laughed together. The rest of the class had been observing the whole conversation. Blushing slightly, Meg turned around. Veronica simply smiled as she opened her notebook._

_After math class ended, Veronica walked out of the room to find Logan standing there. In his hands was the biggest, ugliest cowboy hat Veronica had ever seen._

"Howdy stranger?" Veronica asked, head cocked to the side as she questioned the item.

Grinning, Logan handed it to her. "I got you a present."

"Logan, if this is some weird cowgirl fetish of yours…" the blonde girl trailed off. "I'm sure there's some sort of meaning to this seemingly worthless gift; but so far I've missed it."

The tall boy reached over and moved the decorative strap, and an opening appeared. "It's for some undercover job in the future. You can put a camera in the hat and take photos."

Veronica doubled over laughing. "That's hilarious! Horrendously outdated as far as surveillance goes, but hilarious." Looking at him, she asked a follow-up question. "I hope you don't expect me to actually use it."

"No Ronnie. There's no reason for you to use it. I grew up in the movie business didn't I? I know there are much smaller cameras now. Glad you like it." Logan said, placing a kiss on her forehead.

Returning the kiss, she held out her hand. "Walk me to class, new boyfriend?"

"It astonishes me that you would even have to ask." Logan mused. "What would happen if you got lost? Women… so bad at directions."

Raising her left eyebrow, Veronica stepped back. "Wow- a gag gift_ and_ thinly veiled chauvinistic comments? I'm living every girl's dream, dating a jackass."

"But I'm the coolest kid in school!" Logan said, pulling her towards him. "And I know you love the fact that you can shove this in everyone's face."

Smiling, Veronica acquiesced. "You know me well, Echolls. All I live for is to make Madison Sinclair's life worse." As he chuckled, she leaned into him. "Let's go. I may be Mrs. Vankley's favorite, but I still hate being late to her class. Where can I drop this monstrosity off?"

Popping his mouth open at the slander towards his gift, Logan put his arm around her as they walked. "Let's go drop it off with the drama department. I'm sure they have use for an ugly-ass cowboy hat for their next titillating rendition of Oklahoma."

_The two walked into the Life Skills classroom, and the conversations stopped. Silence filled the room, and Mrs. Vankley looked up from her desk confused. Seeing nothing wrong, she went back to her lesson plans for the day. Dick was the first to speak._

"Hey Logan. Hello Logan's special lady-friend of whom I have no harsh feelings towards."

"Nice to see you can play nice, Dick." Logan said as he went to the other boy and gave him a half-handshake/half-hug thing. "How's everyone else taking this?" The conversations went back to a normal level after the two boys seemed to still be friends.

Laughing, Casey answered the question. "Enbom's convinced that Veronica is blackmailing you into this, somehow. Madison hasn't stopped talking about how Veronica acted at Shelly's party and how the two of you must have had something since then."

Veronica's face paled at mention of the party, but she shrugged it off and played along. "Anything else? Meg told me during math that Logan and I were apparently having intimate relations in the teacher's lounge while I sat next to her. I'm sure there are other things being said. Please continue, my list isn't long enough."

Head snapping towards her, Logan raised his eyebrows. "Really? Funny, I would have been down there in a second if I knew you were there waiting for me."

Wallace came up to the group, and joined in the conversation. "Actually, that would be Caitlin's doing. She's in my computer lab and sent that one out. In addition to the emails that you two were together while she and Troy were cheating with each other."

_Five heads turned to look at Caitlin Ford, who was sitting down while Mrs. Vankley lectured her about something. Papers were clutched in the teachers' hand and the blonde girl looked thoroughly bored._

Veronica turned to Logan. "Time for you to step up the revenge marathon you've planned. So far, only one thing has happened to her- and I thought it up."

"Dude." Dick said, returning his attention to Logan. "You let your girlfriend be in charge of a come-back? Weak, man."

"Hey! I have been a little busy, you know with the whole 'revelation tour' we just performed." Logan said defensively. "Besides, it's not like Troy's had anything done to him yet!"

Wallace and Veronica grinned. "That's because I'm waiting for all the pieces to come in. I did get started. Don't discredit me like that, Logan. No one gets revenge like Veronica Mars."

"Okay!" Mrs. Vankley's voice rang out over the conversations which had started again. "We've got a late start today. Everyone go get your ingredients from the fridge. Start chopping, people!"

Back in their own kitchen, Wallace and Veronica were continuing to avoid Logan's questions in regards to her own plan.

"Come on, Ronnie! Couples are supposed to share." He wheedled, rubbing her arm.

"They're also supposed to trust each other." She retorted, as Wallace let out aloud guffaw. "Get back to measuring the spices, Logan. You'll be impressed when it comes out."

"What if we play Hangman? Can you tell me if we did that?" he said, returning to the job. "Charades? Pictionary? I promise I won't tell!"

Veronica smirked. "No games. And I'm not telling you for two reasons. One, you'd want to include Caitlin in it. Two, it's amusing to watch you beg."

Running a finger along her neck, Logan leaned in to whisper in her ear. "And watching you beg is something I look forward to." He smiled as her breath hitched. "Payback's a bitch Ronnie. Don't forget that."

Wallace, having seen and heard the entire interaction made a face. "Echolls-seriously. Those rules we talked about? No PDA between the two of you while I'm around, please. It's like watching you scam on my sister."

"Too bad I grew up watching guys scam on my sister, Wally." Logan retorted. "You get used to it after a while."

Veronica turned around to face her boyfriend. "Yes, but let's be fair. It never lasted long- the scamming part. Trina doesn't need much flattery. I agree with Wallace. Some restraint does need to be shown in front of him. I'd offer the same deal to you, but you love for your friends to know what a stud you are."

_The bell rang, and Logan went to talk to Dick and Casey. Veronica walked out with Wallace, the two laughing._

_At her locker, Veronica is greeted by Mac._

"Hey Veronica. How are things in the land of Mars?"

"Things are well. What can I do you for, hacker friend of mine?" Veronica asked.

"I hear that you've been getting other kids dirt on their parents." The other girl said, twirling her blue hair. "I was hoping to call in that favor you owe, and have you do the same. I don't have anything against my parents. It's just they're NASCAR and nuggets, while I'm--"

"Fellini and falafels?" Veronica completed. "No problem, Mac. I'll look into it."

"Thanks Veronica. Anything interesting in your neck of the woods?" the hacker hinted. "A new boy toy, perhaps?"

"Yes Mac. Logan and I are dating."

"You do realize this is the biggest gossip story of the year. Madison was fuming during first period English. She doesn't know what to do. I swear, you've given her an ulcer." The other girl laughed.

"Oh, you have no idea how relieving it is to have someone take this so well." Veronica said. "Everyone else I've told has hit the fan. I have three four promises to kill Logan if he does something stupid. That's in addition to the scathing remarks of my peers in my direction."

"I won't kill him." Mac said seriously. "But his credit score will plummet and a few traffic violations may appear in the police database."

_The two girls continued to laugh and joke with each other. Logan walked up to the two._

Wrapping his arms around Veronica, Logan talked into her ear. "Nice to see you, my newly-outed girlfriend. I thought I was walking you to lunch?"

"I loaned Wallace my book for Mr. Rook's class. He gave it back during Life Skills. Just returning it to my locker." She said, kissing him quickly. "Are you going to be polite and say hello to my friend? I gave Dick a greeting this morning."

"Ronnie, telling him that he looked better when silent was not a greeting." Logan chuckled. Turning his attention to Mac, he smiled. "Hello Veronica's friend. Have we met?"

Looking at him with apprehension, Mac replied. "I've been in your class for five years."

Rolling her eyes, Veronica stepped between the two. "Logan, this is Mac. She paid for her new car by milking all of your friends' allowances during the purity test scandal. Mac, this is Logan. He's antsy because it's our first day in public."

"Yes, and we should continue on our first day. I'm walking you to lunch." The boy said, slipping his hand into hers. "I ordered Chinese."

Walking with him, Veronica continued to talk to Mac. "Come sit with us today. I refused to move to his table. Join me."

Shaking her head, the other girl smiled. "Thanks, but I've got some kinks to work out on this new program I'm working on. Call me when you get some information."


	16. Consolations & Conversations

**Chapter 14: Consolations**

_Veronica is sitting at her table with Wallace. The boy kept glancing over to the 09er table, where looks were being flashed back. In fact, everyone in the courtyard was keeping tabs on a crooked oak table where their former outcast sat. Veronica was ignoring them all and drinking an orange soda._

"So you really aren't joining him up there." The boy mused.

"Nope. I'm staying down here in the style of which I've grown accustomed." The blonde responded while checking her phone. "Hey, those supplies came in. I just gotta go pick them up after school. You busy?"

"And miss the unveiling? I plan on being there with you when you see them, Superfly. I'll even help you with the second part."

Logan, who had come up behind them with the food, remarked. "There are multiple parts? Ronnie, this has to be one of the most complicated revenge battles I've seen. And I don't even know what it is!"

"And you're not going to. But in about two weeks, I think you'll know what it was." Veronica looked up. "Oooh- food!"

Handing it over to her, Logan also gave Wallace a box. "Here, dude. I wasn't sure what you liked, but chow mien seemed like a good guess."

"Thanks." Wallace said, surprised. "You've got him trained well, V."

Smiling, she pulled Logan down to sit next to her. "I didn't even tell him to do that. You get a cookie!"

"Do I get one too?" asked Meg, who had come over as well. Casey was not far behind. "I told him to bring you the food Wallace."

"We figured we'd come join you guys. It's gotten a little monotonous up there, listening to Madison and her harpies whine about this." Casey added, sitting down at the table. "Dick is keeping quiet, though. See why it was a good idea to tell him first?"

Meg gasped. "You told _Dick_ before me? Veronica Mars- how could you?"

"Casey said it would be good to tell him so he wouldn't make a scene!" the blonde defended herself. "Meg- seriously. You accepted the two of us readily. I expected that. Dick was informed ahead of time so he wouldn't throw things! I'm sorry!"

Laughing, the cheerleader put a hand up. "I know. And I'm not mad at you. Everything you did before today makes sense."

Placing a hand on his girlfriend's leg, Logan put his forehead against hers. "See Ronnie? I told you Meg can't be mean."

"Don't be so sure, Logan." Meg said. "Just because I won't come up with something doesn't mean I won't help Casey or Wallace dispose of your body if you hurt her."

"Everyone keeps telling me that!" he cried. "I get it- don't fuck this up or there will be hell to pay!"

Wallace chuckled. "And that's in addition to whatever V here decides to do."

Squeezing Logan's hand reassuringly, Veronica smiled. "How far I've come. I have _people_ now!"

"Yes, and they all hate your boyfriend." He said dejectedly.

"We don't hate you. We just know Veronica's a better person." Casey said.

"Okay, enough with the bashing. Who saw last night's American Idol auditions? That one lady looked remarkably like the shop teacher in drag!" Veronica piped up.

---------------------------------------------------

Wallace looked up and his eyes widened. "Get your pepper spray out, Mars. Here comes trouble."

_Troy could be seen approaching the table, eyes slanted with anger as his gaze darted between the two. Veronica set her shoulders back, ready to battle while Logan stiffened as he slid his hand over hers._

"What's going on?" the boy asked gruffly, gesturing to the held hands. "The two of you are freakin' _dating_?"

"I don't see how it's any of your business, Troy. I made it clear that nothing about me is your business anymore." Veronica said coldly.

"Were you seeing him behind my back?" he questioned darkly.

"No." Logan said, meeting the other boy's tone. "Unlike you and Caitlin, Veronica has class."

"Apparently not standards." Troy retorted before turning his attention back to the blonde. "Do you really think he'll treat you well? You're nothing but a piece of ass to him- and secondhand ass at that."

"Treat me well? _You're_ asking if I think _Logan_ will treat me well?" Veronica laughed at the absurdity. "Troy- you CHEATED on me! With another guy's GIRLFRIEND! Logan's a saint in the 'treating me well' department compared to you."

"Doesn't change the fact that he only wants you as a notch on his belt. Veronica Mars in the sack would make him a legend, don't you know? Ask him… how many points did you say Veronica was worth, Logan?"

Logan stared down the other boy. "Don't bring that up Vandegraff."

"Why not? I believe the points system you designed was to subtract her purity test score from 100. Get the girl in bed, you get the points. How does it feel to be an 86, Veronica?"

Her eyes fiery, the girl in question stood up. Smiling slightly, she went toe to toe with her ex-boyfriend. "An 86? That's a B. Believe me, Troy- I'm well above average." Stroking a finger down his chest, Veronica continued. "Just because you decided to go with the imitation, don't think that I'm not worth the grade."

Wallace chuckled at her skill for turning the insult on its' head. Logan smirked, but then realized that his points system was going to get him into serious trouble later.

"But you'll never find out now, so stay out of my life." Veronica finished, smacking Troy hard on the chest. "You come near me again, things won't be good for you."

"Actually, if you come near her again, I'll shove this can of soda so far up your ass you'll be breathing bubbles." Logan interjected, stopping his rising when Veronica sat back down and grasped his hand once more.

The duo watched Troy walk away, glancing back twice to glare at the new couple. The rest of the courtyard watched as the most unlikely pairing in years had faced down it's first real opponent and won without swinging a punch. As her ex-boyfriend left the quad, Veronica turned to Logan.

"Please tell me you had better things to do with your time than make an actual points scale for the girls of Neptune High." Although her voice was jovial, the boy could see the hurt in her eyes.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I may have mentioned something like that." He said, running a hand through his hair. "But the point system was a joke. It wasn't like I kept a tally of the girls everyone slept with."

"A joke." Veronica responded flatly. "It was a joke to subtract a girl's purity test score and create a game out of possibly sleeping with her. Hilarious, Logan. Sidesplitting. At least I had the highest score."

"It was more of a degree of difficulty." The boy responded softly. "So technically, you were the hardest to obtain."

"Don't make a joke out of this, Logan. The purity test almost ruined Meg's life. You all turned on her, like you turned on me."

Logan grasped her hands and stroked them with his thumb. "And I'm sorry for that. Really."

She sighed, and entwined their fingers. "I know. And I know that you're not the kind of person who would actively go out and try to get the highest score. You hated me then, but I know you'd never hurt me like that."

Thrilled that she had taken the points so well, Logan was speechless. He had expected screaming and slamming of objects, kissing some random guy to get back at him. Lilly would have done that, and probably call him later post-cloital with another guy's murmuring in the background. But this wasn't Lilly- it was Veronica.

"But." She said, holding one finger in front of his face. "I'm still mad at you. It just would make Troy happy to see me throw a bitch fit over something he said. I'm not going to give him the satisfaction, but I'm still mad at you."

Logan nodded quickly. Here was the Veronica Mars that he had come to know. She wasn't vengeful like Lilly, but she was no pushover. Kissing her on the head, he swung his arm around her. "And you have every right to be. I was a jackass."

_The couple's attention went back to the food in front of them, only to behold the eyes of their friend's looking at them. Meg's face showed shock and pure adoration at the pair's antics, while Casey's was a mix of amusement and darkness over the fact that Troy had just threatened Veronica. Wallace simply observed the two with a blank face, thinking and evaluating the match which had just occurred. If the table had bothered to look past their immediate neighbors, they would have seen the whole quad watching them carefully. No one was sure how to react to the pairing, but everyone had feared them individually. Who knows that trouble they could do together._

_After lunch Veronica, Logan and Casey were back in History. Veronica gets up to go to the bathroom. Madison Sinclair and Shelly Pomroy are seen talking to each other by the sink._

"God- first Duncan, then Troy, now Logan? Veronica Mars is running through the 09ers." Shelly said, off hand as she fixed her lip gloss.

"Yes, she must be really inventive in bed to catch Logan's eye. Troy must not have been able to handle all the freaky stuff." Madison replied coldly.

Looking sideways at her friend, Shelly asked; "Hey- didn't you go after Logan?"

Glaring at the other girl, Madison answered. "He said it was too soon after Lilly. But here comes Veronica Mars and he's ready to date again! What does she have that I don't have?"

Walking out of the stall, Veronica answered. "Real breasts, for one, Madison. An actual personality, too."

Recovering, a sneer slid over Madison's face. "Well every gold-digger knows that personality is key. Logan seems to have forgotten the way you stabbed him in the back, but once the after-glow fades he'll drop you. Then everything will be back to the way it should be."

"Oh, you!" Veronica said, swatting at her arm. "I would have thought you'd have missed me- next to me, you're downright classy by comparison!"

Defending her friend, Shelly piped up. "And you were all about class when you crashed my party last year, weren't you Veronica?"

"Shelly, if that's the only dirt you have on me- you're really out of the gossip loop. I've done so much more." Veronica spit, masking the feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. "At least be more creative than year-old insults."

_With a nod to the stunned girls, she walked out of the bathroom. Once in the hallway, Veronica leaned against the lockers. After a few large breaths, she walked back to class. _

While she walked to her desk, Casey murmured. "Longest. Bathroom trip. Ever."

"I was a tad distracted by the pitchforks and torches Madison set up in the girl's bathroom." Veronica whispered as she sat down. "Sorry if you got bored in my absence."

"Can you two pipe down? I'm trying to learn how to write good." Logan said, as he leaned towards his girlfriend. "Did you win? The showdown, I mean?"

Smiling, she winked. "Always. You should pay attention."

_The teacher coughed, and the two quickly separated. Class continued without interruption._

_After school, Wallace met Veronica at her car._

"You ready to go?" she asked, putting his bag in the back.

Looking at her oddly, Wallace looked around. "Where's Logan?"

"Oh, I told him to go surfing. You and I are going to be busy, Fennel." The blonde answered, turning on the engine.

Smiling, her friend got in. "Nice of you to give him a day off."

"That's me- nice Veronica Mars." She replied, pulling onto the street. "He's still a bit miffed that he can't know what I'm planning."

"It is a good one. Troy will not be pleased."

Nonchalantly, Veronica responded. "And that suits me fine. Besides, Logan's still in trouble for that points system."

"Give him a break for that." Wallace said. "It was a bad move, sure. But from what I understand, it's not like he went and appointed someone to go try to win the points."

"Of course not, he's not that kind of person. He would never have done something that would physically hurt me, or any other woman." She said, switching gears. "It's just another item on the long list of issues we have to work through."

_Later that afternoon, Veronica pulled up to the beach. Sitting on the hood of her car, she continued the highlighting of her book. Logan walked up to her, carrying his surfboard._

"Interesting read?" he asked, standing the board in the sand.

Looking up, Veronica smiled and closed the novel. "Incredibly. Who doesn't like reading about an impotent rich kid wandering around Europe looking at stuffed dogs?"

Positioning himself so he stood between her legs, Logan smirked. "I'm going to tell you right now, Mars. This rich kid is far from impotent."

"Really?" she questioned. "How fascinating. I hope you're not obsessed with bullfighting either."

"Just obsessed with you." He said softly, tipping her face up to his and kissing her. "Did I mention I'm sorry for the--"

"Forget about it, Logan." Veronica interrupted. "That doesn't even rank on the list of bad things we've done to each other. Troy's going to have to find something much worse for me to leave you over."

Elated over her dismissal of the other boy's comment, he leaned in again, deepening the kiss. "Everything go well in the secret revenge meeting?"

"Don't dig, Logan. It makes you seem desperate." Veronica smiled wide, and then kissed him back. "All is going on schedule. Waves good?"

He nodded, and then pivoted, switching places with her. "Wanna come over and watch a movie?"

She leaned against him, relaxing as her body melted into his. "Sure. Dad called and said there weren't any new cases he needed me for. It seems I'm free for the afternoon."

"Good. But I get to pick the movie." Logan tilted his head and started kissing her neck, smirking when she sighed happily.

The two stood there for a few minutes until Veronica stood up quickly. "Crap! I have to do something for Mac." She turned around in Logan's arms. "It shouldn't take very long; I just need to stop by the office. Can I meet you at your house in like, an hour?"

Logan sighed. "Yeah, I guess. It's always business with you, isn't it Mars?"

She winced. "I'm sorry, but I'd like to help her out quickly. In case you haven't noticed; I'm running low on friends."

He rubbed her arms and smiled. "Look, it's not a problem- really. Just come over when you finish up."

"Will do. See you later Logan." Veronica got out of his embrace and kissed him.

"Bye Ronnie." Watching her go, a smile crept over the boy's face. Picking up his surfboard, Logan walked to his car and drove home.


	17. Application Essays

**Chapter 16: Bobcat**

A few days later, Logan met Veronica once more at her car. Handing her what was becoming her regular coffee; the duo went inside hand in hand. At the door of her math class, Veronica smiled.

"Hey, your first class has Troy in it, right?"

Looking down at her, Logan was puzzled. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason!" she said chirpily and gave him another peck. "But for this non-existent reason, could you send me a text on whether or not he's there today?"

"I guess." He replied, smiling as he caught on. "Am I going to know what this hypothetical reason is at some point today?"

"Possibly. Thanks for the coffee, Logan. Get to class."

---------------------------------------------------------

In her class, Veronica flipped open her phone when the screen began to blink. _RAT IS IN THE HOLE. GO GET HIM BOBCAT._

Smiling at the pet name, she opened a new message and began to type.

---------------------------------------------------------

After class, Logan was waiting by the door when she came out.

"Are you going to tell me where you came up with 'bobcat'?" she asked as she gave him a kiss.

Throwing an arm over her shoulder, Logan started to walk towards her next class. "You've got some pretty sharp claws for something so small." Stopping at her locker, he leaned to whisper in her ear. "Plus, you purr when my mouth is right...here."

Breath hitching as his lips grazed the spot on her neck, Veronica pulled herself together and shook her head at the indicated locker. "Not my locker. We need to go one hallway over. Quickly."

"Alright." He obliged, letting her take the lead. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." She said slyly, turning the corner. Spotting Casey, the girl gave a small wave and the other boy came over.

"Did you get it done?" Veronica asked, leaning against Logan. The boy noticed her show of affection to him in front of their friend and smiled widely as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Casey nodded. "Piece of cake. He should be here in a minute."

"Who, Troy?" Logan asked. "His phone rang in class this morning. He has to stay after to get it back from Wu."

Grinning wickedly, his girlfriend laughed. "I know. Wallace called his phone."

"Why?" The pair chuckled, frustrating Logan even more. "Seriously- why?"

"Here he comes." Casey said, jutting his chin behind the pair.

_Troy went to his locker and spun the dial. As he reached for the slider Veronica gripped Logan's hands in anticipation. Opening his locker, a scream was heard as the boy in question jumped four feet back. Left ajar, more yelps and laughter was heard as a python slithered lazily out of the metal box._

_Now pressed against the other side of the hallway, Troy turned to run away --right into Corny's locker door as it opened._

Logan felt Veronica's silent racks of laughter against him and leaned down to speak into her ear.

"How did you know he was afraid of snakes?"

"You learn the most useful things on a first date." She replied, voice filled with mirth. "Phobias are a remarkably good icebreaker."

"Nice of you to remember. Where the hell did you get a six foot snake?"

Snorting, Veronica shook her head. "Stop exaggerating. Kraken is only four feet, two inches long. And he's from the animal shelter. Corny has community service there."

Turning back to them, Casey was still chuckling. "He's not going to get in trouble for, um, 'borrowing' the big fella, is he?"

"Mm-mm." she said. "Animal welfare has connections to the sheriff's department. Leo said he'll make sure they don't investigate too thoroughly."

"And did you ask him to smash Troy's head into a locker door?" Logan asked, eyes dancing with amusement while the three observed the school administration try to put a box on top of the snake as it kept moving. "I thought we weren't allowed to beat the crap out of him."

"I'm pretty sure Corny's stoned right now." Casey said. "It's possible that the face-to-door action was completely unintentional."

"So you chose a stoned hippie to help you with a prank over your boyfriend? I'm offended, Mars."

"My _boyfriend_ is the one who was dumb enough to challenge me a competition in humiliating our respective cheating exes." She replied, rolling her eyes. "I didn't tell Corny to open his locker. He might have just realized that they're probably going to look through all the lockers today, to make sure there aren't any more uninvited visitors."

"Searching?" Logan said, feigning panic. "Is there anything in my personal belongings that should be removed?" he asked Veronica, looking at her pointedly while Casey broke into a new round of laughter.

Hitting him on the chest, she glared. "Nothing that I was involved with. Anything in there is all you."

Grasping her hand, he nodded a goodbye to the other boy and started to walk towards her next class. "You do realize that's the closest you've gotten to admitting that the bong was a plant of yours."

"I have the right to remain silent on the grounds of self-incrimination." Veronica recited.

"Spoken like a true sheriff's daughter." Logan said, pulling her beside the door. "See you at lunch?"

"Actually, no." Veronica said, mood lowering. "I have to talk to Mac, we haven't been able to meet up yet. I can see you after work today, though- is that OK?"

He nodded affirmation and gave her a peck. Shoving her into English, Logan gave her a pat on the ass and smirked when she turned around to glare at him. "Go write poetry about me."

"Ode to an Asshat." His girlfriend mused. "I like it."

_Mac and Veronica were sitting together in the computer lab. The blonde girl was nervously playing with her necklace as the other sat and looked at her apprehensively._

"So what did you, find out?" she asked. "It must have been pretty big for you to insist on telling me in person."

"Ummm." Veronica started, then trailed off.

"Suspense effectively built." Mac interrupted. "Hit me."

"It is big. Like, life-altering big. So you should really think about if you want to hear it, or just forget it and go on with your life." Greeted by silence, the blonde pushed. "And... may I suggest option B?"

"I'm adopted, aren't I?" the hacker asked bluntly. "Go ahead and tell me, it would explain a lot."

Looking down at the folder in her hands, Veronica shook her head. "Well, yes and no. The MacKenzie's aren't your biological parents."

"So what does that mean?"

With a deep breath, the girl let the news out. "You were sent home from the hospital with another family."

"Oh my god."

"And there's more." Veronica said quickly.

"More than that?"

"Another family was awarded a million dollars at the same time."

"OK." Mac prodded, not believing that any other news could be mindblowing.

"Another baby girl, born the day after you were. And your biological parents took her home."

Speaking while thinking, Mac spoke softly. "Another girl... born the day after me."

Veronica nodded and closed her eyes while waiting for her friend to connect the dots. It didn't take long.

"I was switched at birth with _Madison Sinclair_?" Mac asked incredulously.

"Mac, I know this is a lot to process..." the blonde began, before her friend stuck a hand up.

Taking a shaky breath, Mac laughed. "You know, on the bright side? No one else will have this as an application essay." She stood and set her shoulders back. "Thanks for your help, Veronica."

_She left the computer lab with no show in her face that she had just been handed the news. Veronica was left alone in the room with shock over how her friend had acted._

_The school day continued uneventfully, and Veronica was at Mars Investigations when Logan walked in. Without looking up from the filing cabinet, the blonde repeated what she had been saying all day._

"Mr. Mars isn't taking any new clients at this point."

Sitting down on the couch, Logan smirked when he realized she didn't know it was him. "And I was so hoping he could help me find my missing girlfriend. Maybe you've seen the fliers? Blonde, diminutive, about the size and weight of a German Sheppard and just as ferocious?"

Veronica jumped when she heard his voice. Scowling, she turned around. "I'm five-two and you know it."

"Of course you are." He replied loftily. "You done here?"

"I guess." Picking up her bag, she knocked on the office door. "Dad, I'm gonna go!"

"Alright honey!" Keith Mars called back. "Lock the door on your way out. Remind Logan that I have a shotgun!"

Logan chuckled. "Duly noted. Let's go, Ronnie."

_The two met up at the beach, each driving their own car. Getting out of hers, Veronica slid on a pair of sunglasses and got out to catch up with him. Walking along the beach, the pair laughed as they recounted Troy's reaction to the snake in his locker. After an hour and a half, they headed back to their cars. At the edge of the beach, she sat in the sand, leaning against him as he played with her hair._

"So what time should I pick you up?" Logan asked, watching the tide as it rose.

"Pick me up for what?" she asked while fiddling with his watch.

"Madison's birthday party on Saturday." He said, looking down at her face. "Apparently, her hatred of you didn't stop Dick from convincing her it would be a good idea to include your place in my invitation."

Veronica remained silent, and her hand fell from his. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not going."

Chuckling, Logan pulled her closer to him. "Of course you are. Why would you miss a chance to watch Madison turn an attractive shade of purple when she has to act nice to you?"

Stiffly, she replied. "I'm not going to that party. I never going to another 09er party."

"What, because of Shelly's last year?" the boy asked. "Relax, everyone has at least one time where they were too wasted to remember."

"I have no wish to go spend an evening in a room full of drunk people who hate me, Logan."

"Veronica, these people are my friends." Logan stated. "You're going to have to spend some time with them."

"That's fine." She reasoned. "But it's not going to be in a party environment. I'm willing to hang out with them outside a time where alcohol is readily available and inhibitions are lowered."

"You know, at some point you're going to have to break that rule. What are you going to do in college, sit in your room all the time?"

"Hopefully, college will have different people than the high quality folks at Neptune High."

"Fine." Logan said. "What do you want to do instead?"

She looked up at him surprised. "Logan, I'm not demanding you stay home. Go, have fun with your friends."

"So they're my friends. A second ago you were referring to them as the spawn of Satan."

"Yes, they're your friends. Yours. Not mine. They hate me."

"Casey doesn't hate you. Duncan doesn't. Meg sure as hell adores you."

"Do you really want me to make a list of the people who counter that argument?" Veronica asked. "Get me a phone book and I'll show you the masses that would step over my corpse for a stick of free gum."

Standing, Logan pulled his girlfriend up and wrapped his arms around her. "OK. We won't go."

"I don't want to be one of those girlfriends who doesn't let her boyfriend go anywhere without her. Go to the party, Logan. Have fun, laugh, get drunk. Call me and I'll give you a ride home when you can't stand by yourself."

Kissing the top of her head, the boy smiled. "You know me well, Mars. It's time to get you home."


	18. Fan of All Seven

**Chapter 18: Fan of All Seven**

_Veronica pulled up in front of the Echolls estate. Continuing along the long driveway, she heard a voice next to her. The bluish tint comes over the picture once again._

"Well well well, Veronica Mars. Seems like you've become the center of attention once again!" Lilly is still in her pep squad uniform, relaxing in the passenger's seat of Veronica's LeBaron.

Looking over, Veronica smiled. "I was never the center of attention, Lilly. That was all you."

Sighing, she rolled her eyes. "You never give yourself credit. Do you remember homecoming? You were the center of his attention way before I was. Anyhow, I'm impressed. Rewriting the social structure! How very not peaches-and-cream of you."

"Lilly, are you mad? About me and Logan?" she asked the question that was on everyone's mind involved.

Laughing, the busty blonde sat up. "Mad? I couldn't be happier for you, Veronica Mars! Logan is much better suited for you now. Donut can't cut it. Besides, if you ever get around to having sex, you'll find out I didn't keep the boy around for talking."

"Lilly…" Veronica sighed, this topic having been a sore spot between the two.

Interrupting her, the ghost girl spoke again. "Also, he wasn't able to handle the fabulousness that is _moi_. He's better off with someone like you, a relationship person. I was meaning to tell you that before I had to leave."

"Leave?" Veronica asked, remembering what happened. "Lilly, you didn't 'have to leave,' someone--"

"You know the rules, Veronica Mars." Lilly interrupted, shaking her head. "God, don't act like you've never seen the movies. Figure it out yourself. No help from the astonishingly fabulous ghost hottie." Winking at the girl, she jerked her head. "Time to go see the boy toy. Later."

_Looking up, Veronica saw that she was indeed at the Echolls front door. Shutting off the engine, she went up to the door. Finding it unlocked, she walked in._

Finding Logan in the kitchen, Veronica walked in and leaned against the doorframe. "Where's my turkey pot pie, woman?"

Looking up startled, Logan grinned when he saw her. "Done at work darling?"

"Yes. I'm yours for the afternoon, Echolls. What are you making me?"

Cupping her face in his hands, Logan kissed her. "Popcorn. If you want more, I have to call Mrs. N to cook."

Smiling, Veronica slipped her arms around his waist and kissed him back. 'Mmmm… boyfriend. That's all I want right now."

"So I've been meaning to talk to you about this little competition between us." As she looked up at him with a smirk, he matched her expression. "I don't think that putting a snake in the giys' locker counts as you winning."

Veronica pulled back in his arms and a grin spread over her face. "I hope you're not suggesting that _that _was my big prank, Mr Echolls. Taking advantage of one of Troy's phobias was a mere reminder to him that I know his secrets and i'm pissed."

"Really?" the boy asked, eyebrows raised. "So there's more?"

"We did say that this was a competition, right? True contests have multiple rounds. I'd say we both just finished round one."

Grinning, Logan leaned forward for another kiss. Pulling back, Veronica glanced around. "Wait… is your dad here? 'Cause being caught once was more than enough."

Laughing, the boy leaning down and threw her over his shoulder. "He is at a meeting with Harv about some role for Trina. We have the house to ourselves."

"Then there's really no reason for you to be so possessive of me." Squealing as he smacked her ass, she yelled outright as he dropped her unceremoniously on the couch.

Smirking, Logan looked down at her. "Go pick your movie, Mars. Popcorn's done."

-------------------------------------------

Holding the box in his hands, Logan looked at his girlfriend incredulously. "_Blade_? Seriously? Could you be any more of a guy?"

"Casey said it was a good movie." Veronica defended her choice. "Said that the whole blood-sucking vampire slayer pumped the testosterone way up. But if you want to watch a chick-flick, I'll go grab The Notebook."

Grumbling, he took the disc. "Well if _Casey_ says it's a good movie, then by all means let's watch."

"Logan…" she warned. "Don't be jealous. It's a deadly sin. Casey's a friend of yours."

Putting his hands up in defeat, the boy sighed. "I know. But he seems to be a better friend of yours."

"And you're better friends with Dick than I am. It doesn't mean he and you are having an illicit lust-filled romance. I'm not going to cheat on you. Ever." The blonde girl said, taking his hands in hers.

"Doesn't mean guys won't try to make you." Logan retorted. "I trust you, Ronnie. It's everyone with an XY chromosome pairing that I'm wary of. Except Wallace, he's alright."

Veronica smiled. "I know. Wallace is pretty cool."

Logan leaned forward and began laving that spot on her neck. "You know, while we're on the topic of deadly sins- I'm a big fan of lust."

"MMmmmmm… I'm a fan of all 7." Veronica purred. The box fell from her hands, as Logan gently lowered her onto the couch.

Suddenly standing, Logan picked up the DVD and put it in the player. Still on the couch, Veronica watched him confused. "Hello… lust? We were totally working on that?"

Looking over his shoulder, the boy smiled. "Figured if we're on this sin kick, we might as well watch Se7en."

"I forgot abut your oddly homoerotic love of Kevin Spacey. That's fine. Do I need to hold you during the gruesome scenes?"

"You can do whatever you want as long as we're still touching." Logan replied, putting the disc into the player. "Are you finished with that Max girl's business?"

"Her name is Mac, Logan. She's my friend." Veronica said flatly. "And not someone that you want to offend. That girl's knowledge of computers has helped me on many cases. I wonder what she could do to you if pissed off."

Sitting down next to her and pulling her to him, the boy smiled. "Do you have any normal friends? You know, ones that don't have skills for you to barter for?"

"Wallace is normal."

"Wallace is an office aid who you've used to get access to permanent files."

"Backup."

"Is a _dog_."

"Meg?"

"Your source for 09er gossip before I came along."

"Casey?"

"The boy would do anything for you, and I know that you had something to do with his return to wealth flaunting which is the proper way of life."

"Weevil?"

"Are you serious?"

"Well crap." Veronica said, throwing her hands up. "I really don't have any 'normal' friends."

"Obviously, since the second one on your list is a different species." Stroking her hair, Logan kissed the top of her head. "Don't worry about it Mars. You're hot when you do the PI thing."

The two sat on the couch, watching the movie. When it ended, Veronica looked at her phone and stood up.

"Gotta go." She said, stretching while still on Logan's lap.

Groaning, he put his hands on her hips, holding her in place. "No you don't. Stay."

"Sorry. I have to go home and make dinner." Twisting, she gave him a peck on the lips. "It's getting to be that time of night where normal people eat an evening meal."

Releasing her, Logan stood as well. "Glutton. I'll walk you out."

Shaking her head, Veronica smiled. "Stay. If you come with, it will take me three times as long to get out your front door. Make yourself something to eat."

As she walked out of the room, the blonde turned back with a smirk on her face. "And gluttony? Haven't you learned by now, Logan? My favorite sin is wrath."


	19. The Reluctant Vixen

**Chapter 19: The Reluctant Vixen**

On Wednesday, Mac came up to Veronica in the hallway.

"I need you to get me in Madison's party on Saturday."

Veronica almost dropped her books in surprise. "What? You want to go to Madison Sinclair's house voluntarily?"

"I want to see." the other girl said softly. "I need to see what my life would have been."

"Mac, I'm not even going. I told Logan I didn't want to. I still don't want to."

Looking at her with pleading eyes, the hacker parried. "Like he wouldn't be thrilled if you told him you'd go."

"That's not the issue right now. It's the matter that no one at that party wants me to be there. I'm sure you heard about the last time I attended one."

"All I want is one hour." Mac stated. "Think of it as a favor. We both know how much you love those."

"I reeeeally don't want to go." Veronica sighed, running a hand over her face. "Fine. Let me talk to Logan and tell him that he can't get piss drunk, because I won't be on call to pick him up."

_At lunch, Veronica smiled brightly as her boyfriend came over to her table with the 09er food of the day._

"Have I mentioned how much I like the free food service I'm getting?"

Placing a carton of Chinese in front of her, the boy smiled. "No, but that look on your face when you see it tells me you're enjoying it."

"Yeah." She said happily. "Speaking of food- are we grabbing dinner before Madison's on Saturday?"

Logan choked on his own food and coughed a few times before answering. "What?"

"Madison's birthday party." Veronica said slowly, as if speaking to a child. "I thought you wanted me to come."

"And I thought you said there was no way in hell you'd be going to another party where there would be a mix of hormones, hooch and hatred for you."

"I'll go if it means that much to you. But you're not leaving my side and I'm getting my own drinks."

His face showed confusion over the demands, but Logan agreed. "Alright. Will you ever get around to telling me what caused this change?"

"Just realized that I should probably do more stuff that you want to do."

"So that's a no."

"And Mac bet me that I would be too chicken to attend." The lie slipped out of her mouth easily, and she ran with it. "She should know better than to dare me to do anything."

Chuckling, Logan entwined his fingers with hers. "I don't know- that competitive streak is providing our peers with amusement."

"Yes, and for her amusement, Mac insisted that she come with me to the party. I apparently have to stay for a full hour before I can make my escape."

"You'll want to escape a night on the town with your immensely attractive boyfriend?"

"I have an immensely attractive boyfriend?" Veronica gasped, then looked around frantically. "Where?"

Growling, Logan pulled her close to him. "Why must you prey upon my jealousy?" Seeing her face full of mischief, he sighed and kissed her.

"Seriously guys, what have I told you?" Wallace asked loudly as he sat down at the table. "You two need to act completely platonic around me. Otherwise, I get this twitch in my right eye and people think I'm messed up in the head."

"To counteract that belief, do you wanna join us at Madison's on Saturday?" Logan asked magnanimously.

Surprised at the other boy's invitation and show of friendship, Wallace blinked a few times before answering. "I've got work on Saturday. But thanks. I thought you weren't going, V."

Veronica fell back into the tale she had made up before. "Mac bet me I wouldn't go because I was scared."

"So you're spending time at a house full of people you hate to prove her wrong." Her friend said, nodding. "Are you at least getting something out of this bet?"

"Two free consults for cases and a computer check-up." She replied, making a mental note to tell the hacker of these new demands.

Logan smiled softly and kissed her on the temple. "So are we picking her up after dinner?"

"Yes please." Veronica then looked down at her box of Chinese again and turned to face her boyfriend darkly. "Logan, where the hell are my eggrolls?"

_On Saturday night, Mac opened her front door to behold Veronica in a burgundy tank top that was much more feminine than the attire she usually wore. Paired with black pants and heels, the girl detective looked ready for a party. The expression on her face however, completely countered the outfit._

"Are you ready to go?" Veronica asked darkly. "Because if you want to change your mind--"

"No." she interrupted. "I'm going to this party. I'm going to see what my life would have been."

Scowling, the blonde girl stepped aside. "Just so you know, Logan thinks you put me up to dare and that's why I changed my mind. You also owe me two free consults and a computer upgrade. I didn't feel the need to tell the gossip queen of Neptune High the real reason for the two of us picking you up."

"Two of us?" the hacker asked in question to the ride, and her gaze fell to the distinctive yellow Xterra. "Oh. Right."

"You better act like you put me up to a dare, Mac-Attack." Veronica said under her breath, starting to walk down the path towards Logan. "He may be a raging jackass, but he's not stupid."

"Is it alright in the girlfriend handbook to refer to your boyfriend as a 'raging jackass'?"

"It's alright when it's true." The other girl quipped, then the pair burst into laughter.

"Gosh Mars, at least act like you respect me as a person." Logan said as he overheard her. "She's only with me for the sex."

Rolling her eyes, Veronica got in the car. "Except for the fact you refuse to put out."

"You wound me." He responded, placing hands on his heart. "Why must you be so cruel?"

"I'm not cruel, you're just being a sissy."

Mac observed the two banter with each other. Surprisingly, Logan and Veronica seemed to work well together. Why no one had seen the connection before was confusing, the pairing was obviously a good one. Piping up for the first time since getting in the Xterra, she ran with the lie her friend had told her to use.

"So Logan, you know she has to stay for a full hour, right?"

Glancing at her in the mirror, the boy nodded. "I know. And have I mentioned how grateful I am to you for making her do this?"

She met his gaze directly. "Prove it by remembering my name this time."

Veronica's eyes crinkled at her friends' directness and elbowed her boyfriend in the ribs. "See why I like her? She won't put up for your bull. Tell her you remember her name."

"Mac." Logan sighed. "Veronica's computer hacker friend who could decimate my record and spend money without my knowledge. I know her name, Ronnie."

_The threesome pulled into the Sinclair's long driveway and parked about halfway up. Getting out of the car, Veronica questioned Mac one last time._

"You're sure?"

"Yes." She said firmly, then smirked when glancing at Logan coming around the front. "You're not chickening out on me, are you Veronica?"

Her eyes narrowed with a promise of pain to come and the blonde shook her head. "Don't call me chickenshit, _Cindy_."

"Never, Mars." Her boyfriend said jovially, throwing an arm casually around her shoulders. "Who wants to go watch the birthday girl have an apoplexy?"

"Only good part of the night." Veronica growled as she hit the doorbell.

The door opened, revealing Madison in her glory. The girl's smile was wide when she saw Logan, but it fell slightly beholding his accomplices. "Won't you come in."

Leaning down, Logan whispered into his girlfriend's ear. "Worth it?"

"Maybe." She said, begrudged. Turning to Mac, the blonde looked at her with apprehension. "You'll be alright here? I have to go 'make the rounds,' but my cell is with me. Call me if you want to leave."

The hacker nodded, smiling softly. She started to speak when a guy ran up to Veronica.

"Hey, hey." He said, tapping her shoulder. "I hear you're working some magic lately. Uh, can you help me get my parents off my back?" Logan's grip on Veronica tightened, a sign of jealousy and barely repressed violence.

Motioning behind her, Mac stepped back. "I'm gonna go find a bathroom."

"Uh, shop's closed right now, Bud." Veronica answered, eyes following Mac as she tried to think quickly of a way to calm her boyfriend down. The only thing she could do was lean further into him and grasp his other hand.

"But I--" the boy continued, until a glare from Logan shut him up. "Nevermind."

As the pair stood by the stairs, Veronica's gaze raked over the crowd and she set her shoulders back. Feeling the tension in her, Logan leaned down. "What's wrong?"

"I just... really don't like parties." She said softly. Opening her mouth to speak again, Veronica was interrupted by a loud Dick Casablancas.

"Logan! Dude, there you are. Come on, I'll give you the tour."

The blonde surfer jovially walked with the pair as he pointed out where drinks were being served, noting that the kegs were outside. Laughing at dancing in the other room, the boy's attention was quickly drawn to something more entertaining and walked off.

"Do you want a drink?" Logan asked, rubbing her arm.

With a gulp, Veronica nodded. "Soda. In a can."

Smiling, the boy moved his hand so that it clasped hers. "Lead the way."

As she walked towards the kitchen, Veronica's grip on Logan's hand tightened. Picking out a can of Coke, the blonde was confused when her boyfriend didn't grab a beer for himself.

"What?" he asked, as he stood up from the cooler. "I got the feeling that you need me sober tonight."

"Logan, no." she said. "Don't let me being here ruin your fun. I'm not going to be drinking, I can DD."

Shaking his head, the boy gripped her cheeks and brought her face to his. "Hey. You're obviously uncomfortable here. I'm not going to get drunk and leave you to deal with me."

"OK." Veronica whispered, smiling softly.

Standing up straight, Logan slung his arm around her shoulders once more. "But if you feel the need to make a getaway, feel free to use my drunkenness as an excuse to your friend. I'll be sure to play the part."

She opened her soda and poured it into a cup before reaching for another can. "Here. If anyone asks, it's got rum in it." Poking him in the ribs, Veronica grinned. "This is a first: Logan Echolls sober at a party."

"Also a first." The boy added. "Logan Echolls having fun at a party while sober. With Neptune High's most feared vixen."

"I'm not feared."

"Liar. And I notice that you didn't deny being a vixen." He said, meeting her smile. Fiddling with her hair, the boy leaned in for a kiss. "Relax Bobcat, I'll be with you the whole time."


	20. Facing the Fears

**Chapter 20: Facing the Fears**

Logan's face turned to confusion when Veronica leaned away slightly from the kiss with wary eyes. The look went away, but she didn't return the show of affection. Dropping his hand from her hair, the boy was about to ask what was wrong when Dick approached them again.

"There you are, dude!" Veronica rolled her eyes as she remembered how Dick's voice got progressively louder as he drank more. "You and the Ronster should come join us- we've got this whole truth-or-dare thing set up. It's like, way old school."

With a chuckle, Logan looked down at Veronica, who was wincing at the nickname. "Whad'ya say, _Ronster_? Up for a little more blackmail material?"

"Always, _sweetums_." She bit back. "I don't know why I'm being offered this chance of useful information, but I'm not going to question the gifts God throws my way."

As the pair followed the bleached blonde surfer through the throngs of dancers, they murmured more comments at each other.

"You know Dick just called you by the one witticism he ever made in reference to you." The boy said, keeping his arm touching hers at all times. "I was amazed that he could rhyme."

"Don't be that impressed," Veronica responded dryly as she slipped her hand into his, trying to show that it wasn't him that she had shied away from. "Corny actually came up with it during English one day."

As the two walked up to the group of peers, Logan shook his red cup filled with plain cola when he was offered a beer. Veronica merely declined as she squeezed his hand in a silent thanks. As they sat, the two realized that the 'dare' portion of the game had been abandoned, and questions were merely being thrown out at everyone.

Casey noticed as the two sat down, and lifted his own beer in greeting before starting the next topic. "Worst kiss."

Laughter rippled through the group and the jock sitting to the left started with the answer. "My sister's babysitter. Totally ruined my fantasy by accidentally drawing blood." Chuckles were heard, and the answers continued in the circle.

When it came time for Veronica to answer, there was an intake of breath when she paused before answering. No one was quite sure whether or not she would participate, and they were slightly afraid of what she could say in response to some questions.

Taking a breath, the blonde glanced at both Duncan and Logan before replying. "Lilly."

Gasps and shocked laughter erupted, and a number of the boys sat up straighter as they demanded explanation. Logan's face was covered in a grin of remembrance as Duncan blushed, recalling the homecoming limo party. "She did it as a dare from Logan, who expected her to kiss him." Veronica elaborated with a nonchalant shrug.

Shaking his head, her boyfriend smiled. "That falls far away from the category of worst kiss." Turning his focus more towards the crowd, his grin grew wider. "It was marvelous."

The questioning continued, and Logan was amused to watch Veronica carefully cataloguing her classmates responses. Then Duncan brought up the topic of fears, and the girl sat up straight with a wicked glint in her eye.

"Swans." Luke said with a blush. "One of them chased me when I was seven and broke three of my fingers when it bit me."

After good natured snickers, Kimmy stated that her biggest fear loneliness. Veronica had to squeeze her boyfriend's knee to keep him from making a biting comment towards the girl as she bit her own tongue. The list continued, with admissions of various family members, not getting into college, and Dick's worry that he'd be paralyzed from the waist down and never have sex again.

When the question reached Veronica, she merely shook her head and focused on her soda. At Madison's taunt that she was a chicken, the blonde's eyes rose up and bore into the other girl.

"My fear is much more real than anything that you people have come up with. I'm not going to ruin your _special_ night by saying it outloud."

Silence washed over for a second, before Casey filled the void by saying he was afraid that his parents were going to use up all his money. The joking returned, but Logan's gaze was still on Veronica as he rubbed her thigh slowly. He could feel how tense she was, and she wasn't really listening to the game anymore.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, glancing at his watch. "We've got another twenty minutes until your friend will let you leave, but maybe we can see if she's bored early."

The blonde nodded, then gave a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Think you can get us out of this game without suspicion?"

Laughing, Logan pulled out his phone and discretely pressed her number. When Veronica's phone started to ring, she glanced at it and told him loud enough for a few to hear that it was her dad. Duncan shook his head amusedly and informed the boy that he should probably get her home soon, for fear of gunfire.

Nodding, he stood, and then unceremoniously threw Veronica over his shoulder. Over her yells of protest and the laughter from Casey, he said the obligatory goodbyes. Once around the corner, he set her down once more.

"You sure you're fine?"

Face flushed from hanging upside down, she smiled genuinely and grasped his hand. "No worries, just don't want to answer any more questions."

"Alright." He said, entwining their fingers. "Let's go see where Mac went."

The pair walked through the house, looking everywhere the party was occurring. When Logan came back downstairs with a shake of his head, Veronica's eyebrows clenched together in worry. "I need to find her."

"Well, where would she be?" The boy saw his girlfriend's concern, but didn't understand the reason for it.

"I don't know, Logan!" she exclaimed, before lowering her voice. "You've spent more time in this house- where haven't we looked?"

As he ran a hand through his hair, he answered. "There's always the other side, but Madison never lets anyone over--'

"Show me." Veronica said, grabbing his arm. As he walked with her, Logan heard her berating herself for leaving her friend alone.

The blonde sighed with relief when the library door was opened and she saw the familiar streaked hair. Her eyes opened slightly when she realized that Lauren Sinclair was in the room. "Mac? You ready to go?"

The hacker slowly nodded, and exited the room with her friend. "It was nice meeting you Lauren."

Once outside the room, Veronica searched Mac's face intently. Noticing that her eyes looked dull, she looked around frantically for a cup. "Did you drink anything?"

"Yeah, rum and coke." The girl responded, and Logan saw the blonde's breath suck in and her face pale. "But that was at the beginning of the party. Casey got it for me."

Sighing with barely evident relief, Veronica stepped back. "Alright. It's time to go, you had your hour. Let's get you home Ms MacKenzie."

Logan pulled his girlfriend to him, and asked her a question with careful eyes. "Seriously. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, now that I found her. She's never been to a party like this and I didn't want her to be taken advantage of." She replied truthfully. "But since she's only had the one drink that Casey got her, and we didn't hear Dick informing everyone of some new chick acting slutty; I think it's alright."

His eyes narrowed as he searched her face, but the boy found no sign that there was anything else. Kissing her on the forehead, he was moving to give her a hug before a shrill voice rang out.

"What are you doing over here?" Madison asked angrily. Her eyes were glazed over, and she didn't see Logan standing off to the side. The hostesses' focus was on the blue-haired girl by the library. "No one's allowed in this part of the house."

Clearing his throat, Logan made his presence known. "Calm down Madison, I brought her over here for some air."

"Oh, I--" she stammered, unsure of what to do. "It's just that I promised my parents that people wouldn't come traipsing over here."

"She wasn't traipsing, she just got lost." Veronica put in heatedly, trying to shift the beauty queen's attention from her friend.

Huffing, Madison was still unsure of what to do. "Well if she can't handle herself she shouldn't have come. Some people should know not to be where they don't belong."

The insinuation did not go unnoticed by either Logan or Veronica, and both of them stood straighter, ready to argue more. But an angry voice shot through the visible struggle.

"Well, actually--" Mac started, before being grabbed by her friend harshly.

"Whatever, Madison." Veronica said, pulling Mac towards the door. "I'm not even going to bother with teaching you a lesson, because you're not going to remember it tomorrow anyway."

"Thanks for being such a _gracious_ host." Logan interjected sarcastically. "Martha Stewart has nothing on you." He led the way out the front door, and the three went back to the Xterra in silence.


	21. Good Guys v Bad Boys

**Chapter 21: Good Guys vs. Bad Boys**

"You just backed down from a fight with an inebriated 09er. Are you going to tell me why we're leaving so quickly?" Logan asked, opening the door for Veronica.

From the backseat, Mac answered. "Because I just found out that Madison Sinclair and I were switched at birth, and going to what would have been MY house was a little overwhelming."

Huffing, Logan shook his head. "Fine. Don't tell me."

"I am telling you. Think about how much I look like the Sinclairs and Queen McBitches-a-Lot doesn't." Mac's voice was flat, with the honesty sometimes seen after a drink.

The boy's eyes widened and his gaze darted to Veronica. At her silence, he let out a breath. "Holy shit."

"Logan, you can't tell anyone." His girlfriend said. "The MacKenzies and the Sinclairs have both come to peace with what happened. They filed charges, but decided to keep the children they came home with."

Shaking his head, he walked around to the driver's side and entered the car. "OK."

"OK?" Mac asked in awe. "I just told you the biggest, most soap-opera-like moment in Neptune High's history and you say 'OK'?"

His eyes meeting hers in the rearview mirror, Logan shook his head. "Sadly, that's not the most soap-opera-like moment in our school. There are definitely some things that top yours." Veronica sighed as she agreed softly.

The rest of the car ride back towards Mac's house was quiet until she broke the silence. "Do you think she's even read five books in that library?"

Logan laughed, despite the serious mood. "Do you think that Madison knows how to _read_?"

"She wouldn't know Monet's _Waterlillies_ unless Revlon named a nail polish after it." Mac muttered as Logan chuckled under his breath. Veronica glared at him, and he smiled apologetically. "I have a blood sister I never even knew about."

Turning around in her seat, Veronica placed a hand on her friends' knee. "And Madison has a brother."

"Why didn't they just trade us back?" she asked harshly. "We would have gotten over it eventually."

"You don't suppose they got kind of attached in those first four years?" Veronica pointed out, as Logan let out an awed breath over the story.

Waving a hand, the hacker continued to rant. "They should have figured it out way before then. At two, I was spitting out corndogs and tuning the radio to NPR." Changing topics, the girl asked a new question. "Did you ever find out what happened to that million dollars?"

From her seat, Veronica noted Logan sitting up straight at this new twist. She reached over and entwined her fingers with his, squeezing as an order for him to stay silent. "I'm still working on it. Unless you want to just... blow it off?"

"No." Mac said, and unbuckled her seatbelt. "Keep checking. We've come this far. See ya." Opening the door, she got out, but stopped when Logan said her name.

"Mac." The boy said, rolling down his window as she closed the door. "Do you really want to know?"

Both girls looked at him incredulously, and Veronica tightened her grip on his fingers in warning. "You've just found out something that most kids wonder about their whole lives. Your parents actually love you for you, not because they're obligated to as parents. Would knowing what happened to a lump sum of money change the kind of people who kept you, even after they found out you weren't biologically theirs?"

Smiling softly, he continued. "Money isn't that great. Trust me, I'd rather have what you have."

The girl blinked a few times, then nodded and turned onto her walkway. As she made the way up to the front door, Veronica rubbed her thumb over his hand.

"Thank you, Logan." She said softly. "That was better than anything I could have said."

"Yeah, well." He replied gruffly. "You can't choose your family."

"You're not getting away that easy." Veronica said. "That? Right there? That was Logan Echolls being a good guy. He's not seen much, but he's there."

Pressing down on the gas, Logan began the drive towards her apartment complex. "It's a good thing he's not seen much, Mars. I know how much you love the bad boys." At the next red light, he proceeded to show her how little there was of the good guy she mentioned.

---------------------------------------------------

Parked a few blocks from her apartment complex, the pair broke apart with gasping breaths.

"So how are you coming along with Caitlin's revenge?" Veronica asked as she patted down her hair.

Chuckling, Logan tucked a piece of it behind her ear. "I've got an idea or two. The first one is coming on Monday. It should be amusing."

"That's nice." She replied, glancing at the clock on his dashboard. They had about ten minutes before she would be expected home.

"Hey." The boy said, looking into her eyes with concern. "Are you sure that you're alright? I know you didn't want to go out tonight, but you were acting a little strange."

"I was just worried about Mac." She said quickly, and he pursed his lips with agitation.

"No, that wasn't it." Logan said, shaking his head slightly. "You were really uncomfortable there, and you physically moved away from me by the bar."

At her silence and refusal to meet his questioning gaze, he pressed a little more. "I get that you tend to keep things to yourself now, but you know I'm here-right? When you're ready to tell me?"

Veronica nodded slightly, obviously uncomfortable. Closing his eyes, the boy switched topics. "What about Vandegraff? Got any dastardly deeds stashed up in that brain of yours? You said this thing was going to have multiple rounds, but so far I've only seen a petting zoo reject."

"Oh I've got things planned." She said, the mischievous fire returning to her eyes. "Monday's going to be a fun one."

"Monday? But my idea is set for Monday!"

Laughing, she lifted her right eyebrow in challenge. "I know, you just said that. I guess we'll both start the week off with a bang, huh?"

"Game. On." Logan growled, giving her another kiss before starting up the car. "I better get you home, or I'll be stuck in the hospital for our contest. And everyone's world would be less bright without my presence."

Rolling her eyes, Veronica climbed back into her own seat and buckled in. "The world would be different, but not necessarily less bright."

---------------------------------------------------

In her bed, Veronica had trouble falling asleep. Logan had been great and attentive to her all night, but she still wasn't able to shake his observation that she had been acting different. She hadn't intended to lean away from his kiss at the bar, but no one could really blame her for being unwary of the situation.

Sighing, she rolled over into a new position. She should be happy that her boyfriend caught on to her subtle nuances- right? He had realized how uncomfortable she got during the game, and got her out of there quickly, with no one becoming suspicious. Knowing each other for as long as they had, each of them were able to pick up on signs that others couldn't.

Logan had been able to see that his questioning made her shut down, and had quickly backtracked to the safer topic of their friendly competition. But he picked up on the fact that there was something she wasn't telling him.

How do you tell your former-nemesis-cum-boyfriend that the rumors he spread weren't without a sliver of foundation? That she didn't actually know how many people she had had sex with? That the one time Veronica Mars had lost control, she paid for it in spades?

---------------------------------------------------

In his bedroom, Logan watched the Daily Show on his flat screen without processing the quips. Over the years of friendship and fighting, he had come to consider himself something of an expert on Veronica Mars. Sure, the new version of her was different, but he picked up on the changes.

The fact that she had physically moved away from his kiss bothered him. He had never been in a relationship with her, but he had seen her when she and Duncan were together. There hadn't been any real hesitation towards PDA. And he had seen her and Troy give pecks in the halls.

It must have been the party. She had told him initially that she wasn't going to attend another 09er party-ever. But then a few days later, she had changed her mind. He hadn't really given it much thought, especially since it seemed one of her friends had dared her into it. Now he knew that it wasn't a dare, but she had been persuaded all the same.

He guesses a multitude of reasons. Coming back to a party, where the last one had led to humiliation made her wary of the boy who caused it. She's become uncomfortable around alcohol because her mother skipped out. After Duncan ignoring her and Troy cheating, she's become untrustworthy of men. But as he turned off the television, he resigned himself with the idea that Veronica would come talk to him when she's ready.


	22. Whore of a Different Color

**Chapter 22: Whore of a Different Color**

Monday came around, and Logan met Veronica by her car once again. As she got out, the blonde looked at his empty hands.

"I know that I didn't explicitly say it, and you didn't either- but I've sort of gotten used to that coffee each morning. I'm sure you realize that Veronica sans caffeine is a generally bad idea, so there better be a good reason for the lack of java."

"None today, Bobcat. I was here a little early and didn't have time to pick it up."

Looking at him appraisingly, Veronica sighed. "You know that if you get suspended, that's more coffee that I don't get?"

"Relax- I'm not going to get suspended for it. Besides, even Caitlin's not dumb enough to snitch on me. People here know not to." He replied loftily.

"Any of the PCHers, Wallace, the janitor, Sean, Carrie Bishop..." she listed before fixing him with a pointed look. "_Me_."

"Wait... Carrie Bishop would snitch?" Logan asked, ignoring her personal threat.

Rolling her eyes Veronica smacked his chest. "After the Mr. Rooks thing, she can't get much lower on the totem pole."

"Please, turning me in would knock her off it."

"I honestly thought that having your ex-girlfriend cheat on you would have deflated your ego, but apparently it just made you feel righteous."

"No, ruling the school with a hot blonde by my side makes me righteous."

Sighing, she pulled her bag over her shoulder. "I'd make more snippy comments, but I'm low on caffeine. Do you get it now? If you don't supply me, our witty banter falls short."

"Fine." Reaching into his pocket, Logan pulled out his phone. "DK? You at school yet? Great- hey, can you pick Ronnie up a coffee? She's finally accepted the fact that she's not going to grow anymore."

After a pause, Logan smiled as he glanced down at his girlfriend. "Yeah, she's glaring at me... thanks dude, I'll pay you back." Hanging up, he tapped her nose.

"You're cute when you're pissed at me."

"Jackass."

"_Nice_ ass." Logan countered as his hands ran over her body. Seeing Wallace approaching them, he quickly withdrew and waved. "Morning."

"I saw that Echolls." Their friend replied darkly. "If you two are done foolin' around, we have school."

"Why Wallace," Veronica started with a wicked grin. Dropping her bag, the blonde sidled up to Logan, and put her hands in the boy's back pockets as she pulled him to her. "Does it make you... _uncomfortable_ when someone shows affection towards me?"

Going along with the game, her boyfriend slid his hands up her shirt as he nuzzled her neck. Wallace's eyes started darting around and he started to mutter. "You two are mean... no shame... your dad..."

As the pair laughed to themselves, a honk came from the silver SUV that had pulled in. "Hand check!" Casey called as he pulled into a parking spot. Opening his door, the boy climbed out with a smile and advice. "I know that Duncan said you guys were cool, but dry humping each other in the parking lot might be a little much."

Nodding, Logan unwrapped himself from Veronica and kissed her chastely. "Right."

Brushing herself off, the girl tilted her head in question. "Duncan said the two of you were okay?"

"Yeah. But Casey's right- you probably shouldn't take advantage of me in his presence."

Ignoring his comment, she pressed more. "He's not mad at you?"

"He's helping me with Caitlin's prank today, I think that means he's fine with the two of us." The boy said, picking up her bag. "Plus he's bringing you a coffee, proving he's not discomfited with you."

"He's helping you out?" Wallace asked. "Man, you really can't come up with any ideas on your own."

As the rest of them snickered, Logan glared as he countered. "It's my idea, but I'll be in a class when something needs to be done. Besides, Veronica had Casey and that hippie help her."

"It was just Corny." She countered. "And only because I couldn't get back inside the animal shelter after helping Mandy."

"Did you need help for today?"

Pouting, Veronica crossed her arms. "Yes. But you'll see why when it happens."

"You weren't lying, man. She looks downright depressed!" The group all turned as Duncan Kane walked towards them with a smile. He handed her a cardboard cup and laughed as the blonde's eyes lit up. "Caramel machiatto, extra shot."

Casey's eyebrows raised. "You know her drink?"

"You don't?" Veronica asked as she sipped. "Some friend you are. These boys all know how I like my coffee."

The three males refused to look at each other in shame, and the other boy smiled. "Now I do. It's astonishing that you have all of us whipped."

"Hey." Logan sputtered. "I'm not whipped!"

"That explains why you're holding her purse." Wallace taunted. Looking down, Logan realized that he had indeed been holding her bag, and held it out to her, amid laughter.

Veronica grinned, then shook her head and pointed to the cup. "Coffee. You didn't bring me any. That means you carry my stuff."

_The group laughed, then walked into school. Both Duncan and Logan turned towards their lockers, and pulled Veronica with them. Casey and Wallace looked at each other, then decided to follow the threesome. _

Standing at her boyfriend's locker, Veronica glanced around. "Is there a reason that the two of you kidnapped me to the 09er hall?"

"You'll see." Logan said cheerfully.

"Ahh." She said. "You stole my idea of a locker prank. How creative."

Duncan snorted as he dug into his backpack, her boyfriend merely glared. The two other members leaned on the lockers nearby, and Wallace stood up a few seconds later.

"She's here."

Caitlin Ford walked down the hall with her usual swish of hips. Veronica observed the boys, then rolled her eyes.

"You realize that the four of you standing in a line watching her looks suspicious. At least turn like you're talking to one another."

Duncan blushed, and tilted his body appropriately towards Casey. Wallace started to go through his backpack as he kneeled, while Logan simply put his arm around Veronica.

Lifting her coffee to take a sip, the boy leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You may not want to be drinking something hot in a second."

She looked up at him with an unreadable expression, but did lower the cup. Caitlin stood at her locker, and opened it as she talked to another girl.

A loud bang was heard, and hot pink paint burst out of the locker, covering Caitlin and the bystander. Jaw dropping, Wallace stood and turned to Duncan in shock. "An _ink bomb_? He stuck an ink bomb in her locker?"

Veronica smiled, but analyzed the prank in her usual manner. "Amusing, but I like mine better. It had a psychological element to it."

Logan merely chuckled and kissed her on the forehead and he put his hand in hers. "Let's get you to class, Bobcat."

_Later that day at lunch, the school was still abuzz over the obvious prank war that the notorious couple had started between themselves. While Caitlin's Vespa problems had seemed unfortunate at the time, everyone wondered if the pair had possibly had a hand in the reason she was now driving her old car. Then the local animal shelter's snake had been stolen and recovered in Troy Vandegraff's locker. All signs pointed to the twosome, who were doing nothing to stop the rumors, as they were nearby for all of the incidents._

As he walked back to Veronica's table after grabbing their food, Logan gave a nod to Dick. Sitting down next to his girlfriend, he handed her and Wallace some tacos and soda.

"Ready?" he asked, taking a bite of his own lunch.

Veronica looked over at him from her homework and squinted in confusion. "For what?"

She looked past him at Caitlin, whose cell phone had just started to ring. Another bang was heard, and she stood up from her purse squealing. In addition to the pink paint from her locker, the girl was now coated in blue.

Logan put his head on her shoulder as the two watched the commotion. "Still think it's not psychological?" he muttered, then returned to his food.

Raising her eyebrows, the detective nodded. "I see. Is this going to be an all-day attack?"

"Yes. There's still the part DK promised to do."

"Yeah- why is he helping you?" she asked.

Running a hand through his hair, Logan gave her a genuine smile. "I asked. He agreed. I think he's trying to show that he supports the idea of us dating."

"I see. That explains why he got me a coffee this morning."

Laughing, Wallace shook his head from across the table. "No, that was because you're terrifying on a regular day. Without coffee, it's unbearable."

"I like my coffee." She said, glaring.

"No, you're addicted to your coffee." Her best friend corrected.

"It's not an addiction. I can stop anytime I want."

"Last month your coffeemaker broke and you started popping Tylenol for migraines."

Mouth dropping open, Logan was shocked. "You detoxed. From coffee."

"It wasn't a detox." She defended herself. "It's not an addiction, it just keeps me motivated!"

The two boys looked at each other, then back at her. "What color ribbon do you wear to support caffeine dependency?" Wallace asked.

"No, you don't wear the ribbon to support the illness- you support research or awareness."

"I hate you both." The girl replied, taking a bite of her taco. "And after this week- you don't want me to hate you."

"This week?" Logan asked, before he understood when his girlfriend and Wallace grinned. "That big one's being unveiled?"

"Later." Was all Veronica would say, before she opened her soda. "I told you I was playing to win."


	23. Wash that Man Right Out of His Car

**Chapter 23: Wash That Man Right Out of His Car**

Veronica and Logan were at the Xterra, leaning against it as they waited for their respective exits to come to the parking lot. Twisting her head, the blonde grinned as she whispered in his ear.

"What color did you stick in her car?"

"How do you know we put one in her car?" Veronica simply gave him a pointed look. Shaking his head, the boy smirked. "Can't tell you. That would be cheating."

His cell phone rang, and Veronica reached into his front pocket to get it out. Winking at him as he growled playfully, she pulled it out and answered. "Hey Luke. Alright, thanks." Her eyes glinted for a second, and then she burst out laughing. "I'm sure he'd be glad to hear it." Hanging up, she handed the item back to her boyfriend.

"Caitlin's coming. Apparently she's really twitchy. Also, your friends think you're whipped."

Glowering, Logan crossed his arms. "I'm not--"

"You _are_." Casey and Duncan said in unison as they came to join the pair. Veronica simply bit her lip with mirth as she shrugged.

"So, Ms Mars." Duncan said, as the group stood with anticipation. "What do you have planned for the devious Mr Vandegraff?"

Shaking her finger at him, she smiled. "Can't tell you. That would be cheating." Logan coughed at her blatent mocking of him.

"Come on," he wheedled. "Tell a friend."

"No. And shut up, the rainbow princess is here."

_True to the phone call seconds before, the girl was indeed acting suspicious of everyone around her. When a car door shut near her, she jumped back and looked at her person to see if more paint had splattered. As quickly as possible, she went to her own car and put unlocked it. As soon as the door opened, four more bangs were heard. Covering the previous colors, Caitlin was now covered in white, black, yellow and green._

_The entire parking lot was silent for ten solid seconds, before conversations started up again, and cell phones were whipped out. Troy looked up from where he and Sean Freidrich had been talking, and glanced over to Veronica and Logan, who were very careful not to look his way. _

Instead, the couple turned to Duncan with amused expressions on both of their faces.

"Should I even be surprised that you bought bombs in the school colors?" Logan asked.

Hitting his arm in jest, Veronica opened her mouth. "Logan! You cannot just accuse the class president of such a thing. It was obviously an expression of Neptune High spirit!"

"Can I use that?" the Kane heir asked. "It wasn't until halfway through setting it up that I remembered there are cameras out here. Dad's not gonna be happy when he gets that phone call."

The blonde girl's mouth turned into a large smile. "Oh didn't you hear? The cameras to the parking lot were... malfunctioning today. There's no footage, probably won't be fixed until the end of the week."

"And why were they malfunctioning?" Logan asked, knowing the reason.

Smiling widely, Veronica simply picked up her bag. "You all may want to take about five big steps back."

Turning his head around, the boy saw Troy walking towards his car, taking the keys out of his pocket. Grinning down at his girlfriend, he nodded and followed her suggestion as the others did the same.

_As soon as Troy opened his door a little, it shoved open and a wave of water came out, knocking him over. Students who were unfortunate enough to be standing nearby watched their bags washed away as water continued to stream out. Choking as he stood up, the boy wrung out his shirt and searched the crowd for a spiteful blonde girl._

_Once again, silence reigned through the parking lot. All heads turned to the group of 09er boys that stood with the school's outcast. Veronica was snapping pictures, before she moved the camera aside and blew a kiss to her ex when he found her. As his face twisted into a scowl, she picked up the camera again and took another photo. As Clemmons came running out of the school, the blonde turned to Duncan._

"Think I'll make the front page?" she asked, flipping back to show the picture to the newspaper editor.

With a smirk, Logan leaned down and kissed her neck. "Of course you will, Bobcat. I mean- the quality, the gritty realism, the _pathos_."

The Kane heir shook his head. "We keep losing _teachers_ for that class. I don't want to be the first student they ask to step down."

"Don't be stupid, Kane." Casey said with a grin. "There's only one student they want out of that class. And we all know who that is."

Nodding solemnly, the girl's face was serious. "Such a pity about that poor Pomroy girl. Never takes directions."

Eye rolls were seen all around, but the focus quickly shifted to the furious boy coming towards them.

"You bitch. You're going to pay for that." Troy said loudly, gesturing to his car.

Three credit cards were whipped out before Veronica could even make a biting comment back. "Bill me." Logan, Casey and Duncan said in unison; before looking at each other in surprise.

Glancing around the group, the boy could only blink a few times before turning around and going back to his car.

"I can take care of myself." Veronica said darkly. "You all didn't need to come to my rescue."

Logan merely pulled her to him and kissed her forehead. Casey busied himself with putting his card back into his wallet, but Duncan felt the need to speak.

"Consider it payment for getting my laptop back."

"I got payment by taking your money in a poker game."

"Poker game?" Casey asked, intrigued. "You play poker?"

The blonde turned back to her boyfriend as the Kane heir started to tell the story. Pulling him slightly away from the group, she locked gazes with him.

"I need to go talk to Weevil about something." She said quietly.

His eyes narrowed, then realization dawned. "He helped you with the car."

"Well I didn't know how to make a watertight seal!"

"Go on." Logan said, stepping aside. "Thank him, just come back."

It was Veronica's turn to narrow her eyes. "I didn't bring you over here to ask for permission, Logan. You're not my keeper."

"Wait- that's not what I--" he quickly backtracked, grasping her hand. "Me and DK were going to go out for burgers after school. I was thinking that you would come along."

She was solemn for a second, then nodded. "Alright. I'll go with- _after_ I talk to Weevil. Is it just the three of us?"

"No, I think Meg's gonna be there too."

"Is it a double date, or can I invite Wallace?"

"Yeah, I guess." Logan was relieved that they had avoided an argument that he had had many times with Lilly. "Duncan's trying to get her back, but this is more of a friends thing. I'll ask him and Casey while you're with Paco."

She fixed him with a pointed look, then kissed him on the cheek before she went to find her friend.

_Weevil was with the rest of the PCHers on the other side of the parking lot, far from where the water had reached. As she approached, loud compliments arose for the tiny girl._

"Niiiiiiiiiice idea, Blondie!" Felix said appreciatively. "I knew white boys can't jump, but apparently they suck at swimming too."

Smiling at him in return, she turned to Weevil. "Thanks for the help."

"I knew you'd come up with any reason to be with me, V." The biker said with a wink.

"No, I'm pretty sure that you're the one who calls me for help." Veronica replied, tapping her lip. "I just gave you a chance to do me a favor for once."

"Sweetheart, I'll do you more than a favor." He murmured, running his gaze over her.

Shaking her head with a smile, the girl ignored the look. "Promises, Eli. It's always promises with you."

The friends laughed together, before shaking hands. As Veronica walked back to her boyfriend, she turned back when he called her again.

"Yo, V!" When she faced him once more, he continued. "We even now?"

"How many times have I gotten you out of jail?" she asked with a smirk. "You've got a while before that score is even. See you later boys."

_Picking up speed as she returned to Logan, Veronica gave Meg a wink in greeting as she approached. The boy's back was turned, and she set her shoulder and shoved him. As he turned around with an angry look on his face over the ambush, it fell into an exasperated smile as he rubbed his arm._

"Is there a reason that you body checked me, or are you simply suffering from Springer rage?"

"I knew I should have taken that DVD back with me." She said. "Stop referring to everything in your life with some sort of CSI analysis. And 'Springer rage'? What the hell? Caitlin's the one who's reacting negatively to sudden noises."

"But you're so much more ferocious!" He put his arm around her and returned their attention to the group, who were all smiling at the two's antics.

"You know, I honestly don't think you guys actually fool around." Wallace said. "I think that you spend all your alone time making snarky pop culture comments about nothing."

Winking, Logan pulled his girlfriend closer. "We snark _while_ we fool around. You can watch sometime, take notes."

The other boy's face paled, and Veronica elbowed her boyfriend lightly. "Stop. We made him uncomfortable enough this morning."

"How did you make him uncomfortable?" Meg asked, confused. When Logan smirked and opened Veronica clapped a hand over his mouth as Casey snorted, she sighed. "Oh."

Shaking his head, Casey comforted her. "It honestly wasn't that bad. Wallace just can't stand when they do anything touchy-feely."

"He says I'm like his little sister, despite the fact that I'm older, wiser and more mature than him." Veronica said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yes, you're showing that maturity in spades." Duncan jabbed. "What with the disabling of cameras to flood your cheating ex-boyfriend's car."

"Don't knack those cameras being out, Kane." She replied. "I saved you from a lecture about responsibility from Celeste."

Shudders went around the whole group, except for Wallace. "Who's Celeste?"

"An ice queen."

"A bitch."

"Satan."

"Pond scum."

"My _mother_." Duncan said, with a glare to everyone else's answer. "And she's just... intense."

"And judgmental."

"Evil."

"Frigid."

"Venomous."

When the son put up a hand, they all silenced, before Veronica turned to Wallace. "Be glad you haven't met her."

"To be fair, Ronnie- she doesn't hate everyone as much as you." Logan said with a twitch of a smile."

"Because you're _so_ adored in the Kane house, man." Casey said. "Duncan, she really is that bad."

"Hey! Jake likes me!"

Duncan shook his head. "My dad tolerates you. And she doesn't hate Veronica."

Veronica snorted at her ex-boyfriend's naivety, and picked up her bag. "Yeah, right. Let's get going. Who's buying me food?"


	24. Author's Note

**_Alright guys, so I realize that it's been a while since I updated. Unfortunately, my laptop was stolen recently, so I'm trying to rewrite this as much as I can from memory. _**

**_Thank you so much for the positive feedback, it's so great that you all enjoy the fic so much._**

**_If you hang in there, I'll try to get back as soon as I can._**


	25. Glove Love and Mistaken Johns

**Chapter 24: Glove Love and Mistaken Johns**

_On Tuesday, the usual group was standing by the computer lab with the new additions of Meg and Mac. Veronica, glad for the estrogen, and decided upon the meeting place partly because she wanted to see how her friend was coping with the party aftermath; but also because from the room they had a straight view of Troy's locker._

_Logan and Casey merely smiled when Meg came over to them in the parking lot that morning, and Duncan had stammered appropriately. Mac's introduction from Veronica had brought raised eyebrows when the purity test was mentioned._

"Do you really have to add that on to my name every time I meet someone new?" the hacker asked her friend quietly. "It's not something that the rest of the school will find so amusing."

"Hey, it's not my fault that you decided to make money off of sex-crazed 09ers." Veronica responded, holding up her hand in defense.

Casey looked appreciably at the brunette girl. "How much did you rake in?"

"As much as I intended to." She replied flatly. "And you're the cultist."

Nodding, he stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you, other odd friend of Veronica's."

Meg reached out to shake as well. "Thank you, for helping her with that purity test thing."

"It wasn't a problem." The girl said. "You don't look like the Whore of Babylon, so I figured it was a setup." At the cheerleader's blush, Mac smiled.

Wallace merely shook his head at the introductions, before turning to Veronica. "Besides me, do you have any normal friends?"

The blonde detective was unable to respond coherently, as she and Logan broke out into sputtering laughter. Duncan had to take the coffee out of her hands to keep it from spilling as his ex-girlfriend collapsed into his best friend's shoulder.

Wiping her eyes, Veronica stood and smacked her boyfriend on his shoulder. "He's here."

Once again, the focus was on Troy as he spun the dial on his locker. When it opened, a cascade of condoms fell out, his books having been removed.

Logan shook his head. "Not very creative, Ronnie. I give it a D."

"The day's not over yet, Echolls." She responded lightly, before retrieving her coffee and grasping Meg's arm as the two headed to class.

"What do you mean, the day's not over?" the cheerleader asked as they turned a corner.

Smiling, Veronica rolled her eyes. "Let's just say that I emptied out the free condom bowls at all of Balboa County's free clinics."

Blushing, Meg matched her smile. "I see."

"Logan's right though, today wasn't very creative. I just feel that since my 'piece de resistance' is coming on Thursday, that quantity should be my focus until then."

"So this is going to be a daily thing?"

Nodding, she entered their math class. "At least until Thursday. I'm thinking I'll stop then and let him try to catch up."

_After class, Logan was standing outside with a puzzled look on his face._

"How were you able to switch his backpack for one full of condoms?" he asked. "You were in math. And didn't go near him before class."

Pecking him on the cheek, Veronica grinned at Meg's face. "A lady never reveals her secrets."

"His bag was full of condoms?" Meg asked, shocked.

"Entirely. Every pocket, no books." Logan said with a nod. "Just sandbags in the bottom to make the weight right."

The cheerleader shook her head. "Who switched it for you?"

"Not gonna tell." She said simply. Turning to her boyfriend, she extended a hand. "Walk me to class?"

Entwining their fingers, the boy still wouldn't give up. "I still don't think that it's very creative."

"Not yet." She smirked. "But today's more about a combination effect."

_True to her word, the prank became bigger and bigger as the day went on. As Troy walked down the hallway before lunch, a ceiling tile above his head split, and more condoms rained down. During lunch, his delivery box from Cho's pizza was filled with flavored prophylactics. And when the boy went to his rental car to get away from school, two dozen helium-filled condom balloons floated out with faces drawn on them, the seats filled with provocatively posed balloon animals. Logan had merely shaken his head when his girlfriend asked him for his final score of her prank._

----------------------------------------------------

Tuesday evening, Meg called Veronica.

"Veronica, I know that you and Logan are dating but--"

Interrupting her, the detective smiled. "Duncan finally asked you out again?"

"How did you... yes. Is that alright?"

"Meg, Duncan and I both know that we're not getting together. It's the rest of the student body at Neptune who can't let go. I'm dating his best friend, and he's fine with that. I set the two of you up the first time, remember?"

"You didn't set us up, he was my secret admirer!"

"All the more reason for the two of us not to be together. If I had a secret admirer, I'd think he was a stalker. And then the poor guy would end up getting tasered."

The cheerleader giggled. "True. So you're really okay with it?"

"Yes Meg, should you accept Duncan's offer, I won't fall into depression over lost love."

"You don't fall into depression over anything. Even when people were saying those awful things about you, you didn't crack."

"Neither did you." Veronica responded proudly. "You got tough."

"Not without your help. Thank you for that. And not being weird about me and Duncan."

"It's cool. So, what did you think of today's balloon collection?"

She could almost hear Meg blush over the phone. "It was... extreme."

"Funny extreme, or 'Whoa- that Veronica Mars is a bitch' extreme?"

"Both?" the girl replied weakly.

"Good." She said with a grin. "Tomorrow's going to be even better."

"Is it going to be sexual again? The car was funny, but raining condoms?"

"Hey, he _cheated_ on me. By society's rules, I have the right to go snip him. Troy should be glad Logan and I have escalated into a prank war."

"It is sort of amusing. Caitlin's still jumping at loud noises."

"Yeah, I rather liked that one. See you tomorrow, Meg. Tell Duncan I gave you my blessing, but also a threat not to hurt you."

"Bye Veronica. Thanks."

----------------------------------------------------

After first period on Wednesday, Wallace came running up to Veronica.

"Girl, you will never guess what happened while I was in the office this morning!"

"What?" she asked, giving Logan a peck when he put an arm around her shoulder. "What happened while you were being the world's best office aide?"

"A stampede of strippers came through! It's a bitchin' senior prank!"

When Veronica snorted at his assumption, two pairs of eyes widened.

"You didn't." her best friend said. "Tell me you didn't. Why would you..."

"How many strippers do you know?" Logan asked with a smile. "Maybe we can get them for the next 09er bash."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She said, grinning.

"Mr. Vandegraff!" a bellow was heard in the hallway. Clemmons stormed towards the boy with thunder in his face. "Come here immediately!"

"What is it, sir?" the boy asked, confused.

"Can you tell me why three exotic dancers just stormed the teacher's lounge?" the vice principal asked. "_While_ the superintendent was visiting?"

The hallway burst into gasps, and gleeful whispers rippled through the crowd. As soon as the administrator looked at them, silence reigned again. Returning his attention to the boy in front of him, the man's tone was stony. "And why they all state that they were called by you?"

Gaping, Troy stood flabbergasted. "I didn't do anything!"

"I'm sure. Come with me, young man." Turning, Clemmons started back towards the office. Realizing that he wasn't being followed, he looked over his shoulder sternly. "Now, Mr. Vandegraff."

Wallace and Logan turned towards their friend again.

"You seem to be making a habit of framing guys you don't like, Ronnie." Her boyfriend said with a raised eyebrow.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She repeated, then frowned. "Although I didn't factor in the fact that people would consider it a senior prank and respect him."

"How are you going to keep him from getting suspended?"

"I have to make a phone call." Veronica said, then walked away from the pair.

Turning towards the 09er, Wallace smiled. "You know, you've fallen pretty behind in the competition, Echolls."

"Yeah. Feel like helping me even the score a little?"

The other boy took a large step back. "Are you kidding? I get in enough trouble as her best friend. There is no way in hell I'm going to do anything to make Veronica Mars _lose_ at something."

"Wuss."

"At least I'll still have my balls. I can't say the same for whoever you rope into working for you."

Logan laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "She's terrifying, isn't she?"

"Man, she's got most of the 09er men, the PCH bike club, and Clemmons under her thumb. Girl's something."

"You have no idea."

Wallace shook his head while he closed his eyes with exasperation. "I told you not to do that."

"What?"

"Murmur with that look on your face when we're talking about Veronica."

"What look?"

"Like you want to slam her against the lockers and go at it."

"I can't help it if my girlfriend is hot when she's scheming."

"Dude!"

Veronica returned to the twosome and her eyes darted between them. "Everything alright? I heard Wallace yelling."

"Nothing." Her best friend said quickly.

"Wallace is simply in awe of your familiarity with the working force of Neptune."

Identical glares hit him and he took a step back. "Joke!"

Shaking her head, the blonde detective's tone turned icy. "Not funny the first thousand times you said it. Now that I'm dating you? Less funny, as it negatively impacts you in a whole new way." Picking up her backpack, she turned and walked away.

Giving the boy a pitied look, Wallace also shook his head before following his friend. "Echolls, think before you speak."

----------------------------------------------------

Veronica skipped lunch and left last period early. During journalism, she had taken the seat closest to the door and was the first one to leave, allowing herself to be taken along by the sea of students that flowed into the hallway. Avoiding Logan seemed like the best course of action, but the plan ended when she saw the distinctive yellow car in the parking lot of her apartment complex.

Getting out of her car, she pulled out her bag. As she walked by the pool, she wondered why he hadn't run up to her the second she pulled in. Turning to her door, Veronica then saw that he had camped himself out on her doormat with flowers and a take-out bag. Backup stood on the other side of the glass, panting happily at the visitor who had arrived with food.

"I'm sorry." The words came out of his mouth as soon as he saw her see him. "I'm so sorry. I didn't think, and then I remembered what I used to say, and then Wallace—please don't break up with me." Logan stopped his rambling when she held up a hand.

"Are you coming inside?" she asked, taking out her keys. "Backup looks excited to see you again."

A grin grew over his face and he stood. Reaching out to hug her, he quickly drew back when he realized she might still be mad at him. Veronica shook her head softly and a soft smile graced her lips.

Walking into the apartment, she gestured to the bag. "What's in there?"

"Oh! Um..." Logan trailed off and handed her the bag. At her questioning look, he shrugged. "You told Lilly once that flowers and chocolate were too cliché and shouldn't work for forgiveness."

Looking inside, Veronica laughed. "So you decided cheeseburgers would stand a better chance?"

"Well if you threw them back at me, these I would still eat. Are we okay?"

"Logan... I'm not going to lie. What you said hurt me. Do you know that during that week before we told Duncan, I had to reassure myself that this wasn't some sort of joke you had set up? That I had to convince Wallace that I wasn't going to leave him for the shiny world of 09ers? Look back at the year the two of us have had, then replay what you said." Noting his wince, she nodded. "But we're okay. It was a joke, a really bad one, but a joke. I had to remember that you used to say things like that when it was the four of us, but it's okay."

Unable to control himself, the Echolls son reached out and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I'll think more, I promise."

"Good. Can you try to be funnier next time?" came the smooshed reply from his chest. "Because it was a _really_ bad joke."

Laughing, he walked her over to the couch and flopped them both down. Kissing her on the forehead, Logan tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "We okay?"

Sighing, Veronica kissed him back. 'Yes, you insecure dramaqueen. We're okay."

"Okay enough for you to tell me what the plan is for tomorrow?"

"No."

"Okay enough to tell me who you called to take away Troy's street cred?"

Grinning, she acquiesed. "Just one of the girls, who then told Clemmons that he wasn't the guy. But, Troy's dad was already called down to the school, so he still got in trouble."

"They called his dad?"

"Nice guy." She nodded. "Said hi to me during lunch."

"But nothing about tomorrow?"

Veronica didn't answer him and looked amusedly behind his shoulder. "Logan, you need to get me a different gift." Backup was sitting on the empty takeout bag, licking his lips.

* * *

**_To make up for my absence, I give you... WOOBIE LOGAN!!! Thank you all for being so patient, and the sympathy over my laptop's plight._**


	26. Testing Her Limits

**NOTE: _There is some strong language in this chapter! Troy gets pissed, Veronica gets pissed, there is general pissiness all around. I could have changed the word, but honestly- this is what people say when they're pissed, even in high school. Call me a realist. Whatever. Just fair warning._**

**

* * *

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**Chapter 24: Testing Her Limits**

_Both Veronica and Logan had been relieved when Duncan decided to start joining the lunch group of the couple, Wallace, Meg and Casey. Riding the accomplishments from Monday's pranks, the pair had gotten compliments from all their friends. Thursday at lunch, Veronica and Wallace were sitting on pins as she raked her gaze over the quad, like a hawk searching for prey. When Logan had asked about it, the blonde had merely shaken her head with a small smile._

_Veronica didn't participate in the conversations occuring around her. After a while, the blonde sat up straight. Wallace and Logan followed her line of sight to behold Troy Vandegraff stalking quickly through the ocean of students, face twisted with anger as he held a rolled-up poster in his hands._

"You CUNT!" he shouted, slamming the poster on the table. "What the hell is this?"

Glancing at him coolly, Veronica picked up the item and unrolled it. Troy's face was printed there, with the words '_He said that you didn't need protection. He lied. Get tested._' The phone number and address for a local free clinic could be seen at the bottom. Meg gasped in shock and Casey let out a low chuckle. Logan could only stare at the poster in astonishment, knowing that this had beat all of his attempts at humiliation.

"Why Troy, I had no idea that you had decided to be in an ad for HIV testing. How noble. Has Caitlin gone?"

Smacking the table, the boy's face was filled with rage. "Sean says there's one by the bus stop. This one was next to the clinic here. How many are there?"

"Well, how concerned are you about the spread of venereal disease?" she asked mildly. "I would think that with the number of partners you've had, it's of the utmost importance to you for people to be aware."

He hit the table again and took a step towards Veronica. Logan broke out of his trance and stood quickly to get between them. "Watch it, Vandegraff. You don't touch her."

"Exactly." The other boy snarled. "I didn't touch her."

Wrinkling her nose in confusion, Veronica was puzzled. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Maybe I wouldn't have gone to Caitlin if you weren't such a _frigid_ bitch." Troy hissed. Despite the low tone he was using, the quad had become silent at his screaming, and the insult was heard all around.

Eyes becoming icy, Veronica rose. At his eye level, the smile on her face was mocking. "God Troy- haven't you head the rumors? I'm anything but frigid. Maybe you just weren't doing it for me."

He started to lunge for her, but was stopped when Weevil pulled him back by his shirt. Having observed the confrontation and seen the posters, the biker had come over to Veronica's table quickly. Logan moved to Veronica and put his arm around her waist in a protective warning.

While he no longer moved towards the blonde, Troy continued to talk. "I'll sue you for defamation of character. This isn't like those other little stunts of yours, Veronica. I'll file charges."

"For what?" she asked heatedly,showing no fear. "You signed a contract stating that your likeness could be used in health care publications. Everyone at Neptune High did, at the blood drive. They have that release at the center, with your signature. There's no legal ground for you to stand on. Any lawyer will argue that, and I doubt your father wants his name in the paper because his son is suing a free clinic."

Troy stepped back, and Weevil let him go. His face angry and gaze still heated, the boy spat out: "If you're the nice one, I can't imagine what the hell Lilly was like."

Duncan and Casey stood, Weevil growled, and Veronica's face turned to stone as Logan let her go with an icy smirk. Pulling her arm back, she punched Troy across the face, hitting both his left eye and nose in the swing. Looking down on him as he lay on the ground clutching his face, she reached out behind her as she unclenched the other hand. Logan came up next, looming over the other boy, ready to continue the beating. When she realized that he wanted to get his punches in, Veronica quickly grasped his hand. The contact instantly snapped her boyfriend out of his rage, and he walked with her away from the commotion.

As they had left the lunch area, Logan pulled the blonde girl to him and kissed her temple. "You OK?" he asked, when he could feel that she was still shaking with anger.

"No." she said coldly. "He had _no right_ to say that. I'm going to fucking _destroy_ him."

"Any more than you already have? No girl in school is going to sleep with him again after the posters."

An evil grin grew across Veronica's face. "Actually, no girl in _California_ is going to sleep with him. I didn't just use the poster printing company. Your father was kind enough to put me in touch with the manager of the company that sticks his face on billboards and the sides of buses. That ad is going to be everywhere. Why do you think this took me so long to get together?"

Pride swelled in Logan's chest, but he was suddenly filled with worry. "Does Troy know that? Because if he did that over the posters by school, he's going to go ballistic when he sees a billboard."

"Oh he knows." She nodded. "He wouldn't have threatened to sue if it was only Neptune."

"Vankley was right. I really don't want to cheat on you. You're terrifying." He said, then pulled her into the girl's bathroom.

"Logan, what the hell?" the girl asked looking around to see if anyone else was there. Her frantic glances were stopped when her boyfriend pulled her to him by the belt loops and began kissing her intensely.

Breaking away from him breathless, she looked up at him questioning. "What was that for?"

"You just went off on your ex-boyfriend." He said, resting his forehead on hers. "You're hot when you're mad. And when you win. And when you punch said ex-boyfriend in the nose after winning." Each statement was broken up by a kiss, with his hands on her hips, pulling her close to him.

_Succumbing to the kisses, the tension left her body and Veronica reciprocated. When they heard the lunch bell ring, the pair separated and headed towards History. Casey was standing outside the room, with both of their backpacks._

"How's she doing?" he asked Logan quietly when the girl entered the classroom with a muttered thank you.

Taking his own bag, the boy ran a hand through his hair as the two stood in the doorway. "Not great. A very large part of me wants to go beat the crap out of him, but--"

"You know she'd never forgive you." Casey nodded in understanding. "Think it's gonna get bad?"

"Oh yeah." Logan sighed. "She's out for blood with this one. There's a reason nobody mentions Lilly's name in this school."

"I thought that was because of you and Duncan."

"Partially, but then Veronica 2.0 came out. Even when we hated each other, that was a line I knew not to cross. Not just because I loved her, but Ronnie will do _anything_ in revenge for that. People learned pretty quickly not to insult Lil around her. The fact that I was punching people had very little to do with the name not being uttered."

"What happened?" Casey asked, before elaborating at the questioning look. "I didn't pay attention to the gossip, and missed school for a little bit in the aftermath."

Letting out a breath, Logan gave him a quick rundown as he counted off on his fingers. "She slammed Madison Sinclair against the lockers by her throat when she made the mistake of calling Lilly a whore. Obviously, I wasn't there, but I heard about it."

"Then there was the time that some basketball player talked to the press about how he slept with her. Veronica struck back by setting him up with a hooker and framed him for solicitation. That's only the things I know specifics of. Some sophmore girls switched schools after she heard them talking smack and that exploded locker by the drama room was her doing, but they couldn't prove it. These are only the things that I know of. I'm assuming there's a lot more, but she's too good to be caught."

Shaking his head at the other boy's shocked expression, the corners of his mouth twitched upward. "Casey, it's going to be brutal. I'm a mix of fear and anticipation. And lust. Always lust."

"What's she going to do?" Casey asked, ignoring the last comments.

"How should I know? Unless she tells me herself- which she probably won't- I won't find out until it happens."

"Logan, you're dating her."

"And? Veronica's her own woman. Plus, she likes to get revenge on her own. I just hope it's nothing that will get her arrested. My dad likes her, but it wouldn't look good for Aaron Echolls' son to be dating a felon."

Casey chuckled, and the two turned into class. "Man, if anything- it'll be Troy shoved into the back of a squad car."


	27. Potential RoundRobin

**Chapter 28: Potential Round-Robin**

_During Journalism that day, the room was getting ready to put out the first issue since they had been allowed back to the class. Mr. Hoover, an old substitute, had stepped up to the plate of supervising the class; but was under instruction that Clemmons be sent a draft before mass printing occurred. _

_Standing at the front of the class, the man was in the middle of discussing with Duncan over what to put in that week. If he was surprised at the studnet editor's quick agreement that the pranks should not be included, Hoover had said nothing._

Logan put a hand on Veronica's knee to stop it from bouncing. "Seriously- are you okay?"

"I'd be lying if I said yes." She replied with a sigh. "I want to destroy him, but I have to wait until he does something outrageously stupid. It's kind of got me on edge."

"You seemed less tense in the bathroom." He said with a meaningful look as he started to rub circles on her thigh. "Want me to help out after school?"

Grabbing his hand to keep it still, she shot him a glare. "What did I tell you about the PDAs?"

"Not to do them where your best friend can see." Her boyfriend answered with a smirk. "But he just left to go to the bathroom, so this is fine. I'm following the Veronica Mars rules."

Her attention still on the computer in front of her, Veronica's lips twitched in amusement. "Maybe. But I'm not a fan of getting caught by the new Journalism teacher being felt up by my boyfriend. Casey seeing us coming out of the girl's bathroom together is one thing- a school administrator is another."

"So what about after school? My place, poolside?"

She shook her head. "I have to work for my dad. He's back in town, and I have a stakeout tonight. Tomorrow afternoon I could do, provided you let me go by eight. People don't usually cheat on Friday nights, but there's this one guy..."

Logan sighed, but acquiesced. "I know. But I also know that you aren't really going to be focusing on the case. You're still seething over what Vandegraff said."

Turning her head sharply, she glared at him. "You are _not_ going to beat him up."

"Obviously." He grumbled, eyes just as angry. "I'm not happy about it, but you said you wanted to destroy him. Unfortunately, your destruction tends to have more of a lasting impression than me pounding him into the pavement."

"Right. Tell Casey and Dick, too." The blonde surfer had been suprisingly willing to go after her ex-boyfriend after their very public confrontation. While the thought irked her, the detective had categorized the action as supressed violence over a lack of surfing partners and willing females.

"What about Duncan?"

Veronica snorted. "Yeah, because Duncan Kane likes a confrontation. No, it's you that worried about. And Weevil."

"Why Weevil?" her boyfriend asked, eyes narrowing.

The blonde ran a hand down her face when she realized that Logan didn't know about his ex-girlfriend and the biker. "Because he's protective of me. Troy threatened me in the quad."

"And you punched him in the face. You took care of it, no need to get the pool boy involved."

"Right, that's why you wanted to get a few hits in. Because I had already taken care of it."

"I feel that I have a little more of reason to beat the crap out of Vandegraff. He threatened you, insulted Lilly, and slept with my ex-girlfriend. Weevil should stand down."

"This vendetta between the two of you needs to stop." Veronica stated, narrowing her eyes. "I cannot play mediator whenever one of you gets in a snit."

The boy's own expression darkened. "I do not get into snits. I get angry because he leers at what's mine."

"Oh I _know_ you did not just stake a claim on me."

"You are a fine, capable independent woman." He said gruffly. "But he's laying in wait to play knight in shining armor for the pretty blonde girl up the street."

"Logan, would you stay silent if you saw someone threatening me? Even before?" at his silence she shook her head. "Of course not. He came there because he was worried. Plus, there wouldn't be a tabloid article if a gang leader beat up a fellow classmate. It would be a field day if you were involved."

"But it's my job to take care of you." He said softly, turning back to his computer.

A slight smile came into her face as she continued to type, but Veronica remained silent. Her hand reached out to his and entwined their fingers, squeezing once before she took out her Spanish textbook and began conjugating verbs.

_When Veronica pulled into school on Friday, Logan met her with the now-officiated morning coffee... as well as a newspaper. Raising an eyebrow, she flipped through it until she found a circled ad._

_'Mistress Caitlin is Waiting for You!' the ad read, with a photo of a scantily clad Caitlin Ford pictured. 'No desire refused, come live the dream!' it screamed, with a phone number and address at the bottom. Veronica's eyebrows knitted together and she turned to her boyfriend._

"What address is this?" she asked, pointing at the page. "It's not in the residential area of Neptune."

"That, my dear, is Martin Ford's corporate office."

Jaw dropping, the girl's eyes narrowed. "You didn't."

Smiling wide, he only nodded as he handed over the cup of java.

"You can't print up an ad that her parents are going to be effected by!"

"Can and did." He grinned, and then revealed more. "It's going to be in this year's phone book too."

Closing her eyes, Veronica's mouth twitched with amusement. "Should I be flattered that you copied my idea for uber-public humiliation?"

"Why can't anyone just give me credit for my pranks?" Logan asked, dejectedly. "I come up with them on my own, it's not my fault someone else did a similar one?"

"Please, this is just a step up from writing her number in the boy's locker room." Handing the paper back to him, the girl took a sip of her drink. "I hope you don't think that this puts you in the lead for the competition. I told you I'm not participating anymore, and focusing on total destruction."

Putting his arm around her shoulder, the pair started walking towards school. "Yeah, but I have to keep up appearances. You know, get the last word in and stuff."

Stopping in her tracks, Veronica surveyed the hallways. "You may have, in this case."

The walls are plastered with colored print-outs. Down one hall are large photos of a heftier Caitlin. Down the other, are sheets of text. Grabbing one off the wall, the girl scanned it quickly.

"Are these real?" she asked, holding up an email from Caitlin's account giving vivid details of sexual escapades.

"Oh yeah." He said. "Apparently, Caitlin's record almost tops Shelly Pomroy. And the posters are pre-fat camp."

"How did you get into her.." Veronica's voice trailed off when she realized exactly who helped her boyfriend get access to his ex's email. "Aren't you glad I made you remember her name?"

Chuckling, Logan agreed. "It was helpful that you introduced me to your friend."

Walking him to his locker, she stood by him, reading the rest of the emails she took from the wall. Duncan came over, with a smile on his face.

"You realize that this is just like--" the Kane heir started, before his best friend cut him off.

"I heard. Ronnie here already pointed out that I took a page from her book."

"Just the ad," she said soothingly. "You did a good job with the emails and posters."

He glared at her. "Don't patronize me." At her amused smile and head tilt, the boy could only groan and kiss her temple.

Dick approached the group, and gave Logan a high five. "Nice, dude!" As he noticed Veronica, he flicked his gaze over her. "Ronster."

"Dick." She replied curtly.

"How did you get into her email?" the blonde surfer asked. "Did she really give a double-HJ to those Pan jocks?"

Logan shrugged and went into his backpack. "Don't know, don't care. She told one her friend's she did, but whatever."

"Oh my god!" Madison's voice could be heard halfway down the hall. "She's a freaking _whale_!"

Veronica's shoulders started to shake with laughter. "Never before have I been appreciative of Madison Sinclair's pettiness. You realize the fat camp pictures are what I'm most impressed with."

"Why?"

"Because they're what she's going to be the most mortified by. Normally, I despise those who judge others based on physical appearance, but Caitlin spent most of gym class taunting Maggie Patterson because she wears a size ten. Hypocritical bitch."

"Catty of you, superfly." Wallace said, coming to join them with a newspaper. "Echolls, I assume you arranged for three bundles of these to be delivered to the office this morning?"

"Of course. What point would there be in buying the space if the rest of the school won't pick up a newspaper?"

"And the reason for circling the ad?"

Logan shrugged as he looked at the page. "Some people don't look at the classifieds."

"Some people have no creativity." He responded. "Veronica already did the publication-thing."

"I've heard!" the boy groused.

"It's your own damn fault for dating someone so awesome." His girlfriend chided. "All of your accomplishments pale in comparison."

"Awesome?" Logan cocked an eyebrow. "Awesome?"

Veronica merely nodded once. "Chuck Norris wears Veronica Mars pajamas when he wants to be cool."

The bell rang, signaling for the group to break off and go their separate ways. Logan, walking her to class glanced down at the blonde with mirth in his eyes. "You are nowhere close to being cooler than Chuck Norris."

---------------------------------------

When lunch came, Veronica was seated at her table with Wallace and Casey when Mac arrived. Looking up with a scowl, the blonde's tone was a mixture of mirth and petulance. "How could you not tell me about helping my boyfriend hack into is skank of ex's email?"

"Because he asked me not to." Mac said, reaching for a french fry from Veronica's tray. "Something about it being hard to top Troy's sexual health posters and he needed to try to even the score."

Slapping her hand away, the blonde glared. "As my friend, you should have told me."

"What, like you let Casey tell Logan when the two of you shoved a snake into Troy's locker?" the hacker asked pointedly. "Veronica, this revenge competition the two of you are having is the most entertaining thing Neptune High has seen in years. I'm just glad to be a part of it."

"Yeah, well it's pretty much over." The blonde said. "We were having fun with it, but after what Troy said, I've switched to full-on destruction. Today was just about Logan catching up."

Mac nodded. "I heard. Tell me if you need help. Any ideas?"

"No, but he'll do something." Logan said as he sat down with a bag full of Chinese. Looking at Mac, he realized he didn't bring anything for her. "Sorry, do you want a soda or something?"

"No thanks."

"I thought you said you weren't coming to lunch today."

"Finished the program early. Yay me!"

"But out here? With people? And natural light?"

"I put up with these things so as not to grow roots. It's hard enough to get a date now."

Veronica's eyes darted back and forth between the pair as they casually conversed. "I am... so discomfitted by the idea of you two being friends."

Casey grinned. "Are your sycophants not allowed to converse with each other?"

"Socialization leads to mutiny." She stated. "It cannot be allowed."

"But you are the Charlotte Doyle to the ship dubbed Neptune High." the publishing heir said. "We rally around your superior planning skills. Our discussions are only about you, oh manelvolent one."

"What if we bribe you?" Logan asked, handing over a box of pad thai after shooting Cassey a warning glare about his compliments.

"I already get what I need for free?"

"I can start charging, if you want." Wallace said, opening his lunch bag. "Say, forty minutes of videogames with Gant for each record you ask me to pull?"

"Fine." She countered. "But the cookie rations will lower substantially."

All four members of the table looked at her in horror. "Oh that is so not cool, V."


End file.
